Burlingame's e-bike demo ready to roll

“Everyone is excited to see how it will work and what it will be like,” Michael said.

Burlingame installed around 20 bike corrals around transit areas, downtown and major parks. City officials hope riders use the corrals to park bikes after use and has incentive alternatives if needed.

“We just hope that the corrals will be used,” Michael said. “We are trying to avoid bike litter and we are trying to incentivize it by using the corrals, luckily, the program is very adaptable and it’s easy to make adjustments on the app.”

The e-bikes, provided by Spin, will cost $1 to unlock and 42 cents a minute to ride

Millbrae identified 20 parking corrals. Some of the city-owned locations are near Central Park, SamTrans bus stops, near City Hall, Millbrae Recreation Center, Richmond Drive, near the entrance of the Spur Trail, near the skate park and near Rotary Park.

“We are hoping it will help with the last mile for commuters who are taking the train or the bus to work but still have a ways to go to get home from there,” Michael said previously.

How it works

Users download the Spin app. It shows the nearest bikes and the battery life left. The bike is unlocked with a QR code on the handle bars. It will run the user through some safety rules so the rider is familiar with how to operate the bike. The user rides to their chosen destination and the app will show a preferred parking location that comes with an incentive. The user can take a picture of how they parked the bike and submit it in the app.

Both cities plan to slowly integrate the bikes inventory as the program begins and there will eventually be more than 200 bikes available between both cities.

Spin was awarded the contract by both cities because of its lower user fees and competitive pay to local employees. It will hire two local employees between both cities who will move the bikes to heavily used locations, charge them and fix any issues. It will be moved within two hours of it being reported as somewhere a resident doesn’t want.

The Transportation Authority, an organization that allocates a half-cent sales tax dedicated to transportation needs, awarded both Millbrae and Burlingame $200,000 grants each toward the multi-jurisdictional hybrid bike program, anticipated to launch in the coming months.

Additionally, each city will contribute an additional $20,000. The ebikes will cost $100,000, racks and parking zones will cost an additional $100,000 with an additional $100,000 spent on marketing.

The existing status quo requires individual jurisdictions across San Mateo County to develop their own shared micro-mobility programs and guidelines, according to the City/County Association of Governments website. However, studies indicated successful multi-jurisdictional programs in Sacramento where a countywide program could be deemed necessary depending on the success of this program.

nick@smdailyjournal.com

(650) 344-5200 ext. 105