SMI Team members have been working with the San Joaquin Regional Transit District (SJRTD) to launch the community’s brand new E-Bikeshare, Bike Stockton. Tyler Madell, Nate Schultz, and California-based team member Alberto Rodriguez are currently in California and the official kickoff was Saturday, April 1, 2023. Tyler has led this project along with our other team members since 2020. Alberto, our California Operations Manager, oversees all on-the-ground operations, and Makenzie Fintak created all of Bike Stockton’s branding and designs.
New Bike Stockton e-bikes ready for deployment
This is an important launch as cities nationwide need more transportation options. The bikeshare project is a piece of what they're calling the Stockton Mobility Collective. The San Joaquin Council of Governments (SJCOG) was awarded a 7 million dollar grant to start the Collective, which is comprised of multiple mobility incentive programs. Tyler calls the project groundbreaking because of the leadership taken by SJRTD and SJCOG to meet the needs of Stockton residents.
For just $1 to unlock and $.15 per minute, Bike Stockton is one of the most affordable e-bikeshare programs in the entire country. The project includes 105 new e-bikes. The launch includes 35 of those bikes across 5 stations. The program will continue to scale up as the season progresses.
With SMI being based in Buffalo, it is interesting to see several parallels between the City of Stockton and the City of Buffalo.
Both cities are car-centric in culture, infrastructure, and geography. This requires the ownership of cars and makes transportation difficult for those without vehicles.
The dependency on cars also poses air quality challenges.
Stockton and Buffalo share a disparate population of affluent neighborhoods and low-income neighborhoods that lack access to standard housing and transportation.
Bike Stockton meets this need for low-cost transportation while having the potential to improve air quality and overall sustainability. Programs like this push the envelope on how cities meet the needs of their citizens and help to create communities that are equitable and affordable.
Other programs in the Stockton Mobility Collective include:
Electric carshare
Workforce development
Míocar is an incredible carsharing program and has been a close partner of SMI since their launch in 2019. The Míocar team has been a tremendous support in the development of Bike Stockton. Their program allows users to rent a car for $4 per hour or $35 per day and provides a charge card for recharging the vehicle. Affordable rates allow for Míocar to be a feasible, long-term transportation option for individuals. The workforce development program is intended to train community members for careers in electric and shared transportation. The hope is that this results in a strong workforce equipped to be hired locally, as well as in other areas where this work is happening.
Ribbon cutting at launch event with community partners
The official launch of the Bike Stockton E-Bikeshare was on Saturday, April 1, 2023, and has been long anticipated by the SMI team, the California-based partners, and the residents of Stockton. Check out what some of the people have to say. The launch celebrated the activation of several main bike hub locations strategically placed to accommodate the highest ridership. People were able to demo the bikes and download the Bike Stockton app. Additionally, the launch featured a 50% off annual pass, making the program extremely affordable for the first year. There were giveaways, including helmets, t-shirts, and other cool swag. The launch also featured community organizations at tables, including Míocar and Vamos.
Launch Day participants
The launch was a great success, and we are so proud of the team and their hard work. Check out these interviews with Good Day Sacramento and KCRA for another glimpse of the project.
Project lead: San Joaquin Council of Governments
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