As soon as the end of this year, residents can apply for 35 slots of the free three-month rentals.
A new fleet of Long Beach bike rentals are rolling in, and they’re cheaper and faster than ever.
Thirty-five residents will be part of the City’s first-ever electric bike lending library, where they can check out an e-bike for free for up to three months. The program is expected to begin as soon as the end of this year.
Low-income residents will be given priority for 23 of the bikes, while the other 12 will be available for any Long Beach resident over 18 years old. Bikes will be rented on a first-come, first-served basis, and the City is still deciding on an application process.
Long Beach has allowed residents to rent bicycles stationed around the city through its Bike Share program since 2015, but the lending library was inspired by cities such as Oakland and Santa Barbara, which rent out e-bikes.
According to the Light Electric Vehicle Association, United States imports of e-bikes increased by 80% from 2019 to 2021.
Oakland began its electric bike lending pilot program in October 2022 through a $1 million Clean Mobility Options grant. The program offers a mixture of 100 standard, cargo and adaptive e-bikes at a low cost for short-term and long-term options.
Long Beach is purchasing a mixture of 35 standard, cargo and tricycle e-bikes for its program. Long Beach’s Transportation Planner Reed Sherlock said the City is purchasing 15 standard e-bikes, 15 cargo e-bikes and five trike e-bikes.
Santa Barbara’s electric bicycle program is a lending library of 250 e-bikes that are available for daily rentals at $8 for every 30 minutes and must be placed at a designated dock. The system is similar to Long Beach’s Bike Share program.
Sherlock said the goal of the e-bike lending library is to allow people to “figure out how it [an electric bicycle] fits into their life and if it’s an investment that makes sense for them.”
Electric bicycle usage significantly increased during the COVID-19 pandemic as people avoided modes of public transportation such as buses and subways. According to the Light Electric Vehicle Association, United States imports of e-bikes increased by 80% from 2019 to 2021.
The City is purchasing Class I e-bikes, which have a maximum speed of 20 mph. California law does not require a rider to have a driver’s license, but Sherlock said the City is still figuring out what the requirements will be to rent an e-bike.
“It’s something that can empower communities and open up doors regardless of someone’s age and other abilities,” Sherlock said.
The program will cost $350,000 from Long Beach Recovery Act funds, $160,000 of which will be spent on purchasing the bikes while the rest will be set aside for maintenance and staffing.
Long Beach Recovery Act funds are from the federal government and have resulted in millions of dollars meant to economic and public health recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sherlock told the Signal Tribune that since the Long Beach Recovery Act funds will conclude at the end of 2024, the continuation of the lending library will depend on the success of the pilot program.
