Lyft Launches Newly Designed, Long-lasting, and Safer ebikes

On June 2, 2021, Lyft announced that its ebikes are getting a design and safety upgrade. The rideshare app is one of the biggest bikeshare providers in North America. And as more riders opted to use bicycles, Lyft saw this opportunity to give their ebikes an overhaul after seeing an upward trend in the use of bikes, even during a pandemic.

Let’s see how the new and improved Lyft ebike can become safer for riders and how Lyft has become one of the largest bikeshare services in North America.

Features of the New Lyft ebikes

Smart Design

Lyft’s redesigned ebike is packed with brand new features, great for any rider. The rideshare app had intuitiveness in mind, perfect for all road types. Plus, it will only add power on terrains such as hills and bridges, giving users more power and control as they pedal.

Safety

Meanwhile, for safety, Lyft ensures that lighting systems and retroreflective paint would make riders visible at night. Aside from those, the bikes also have safety sensors to monitor the overall condition and hydraulic brakes to give riders a smoother stop with minimum force.

Ride Experience

There’s an adjustable seat clamp, allowing users to adjust depending on their height. In addition, new users can also use an ebike since it has a built-in tutorial with a brand-new LCD system and speakers for processes such as parking and unlocking. Plus, riders can expect longer rides on a single charge, lasting for every 60 miles, reducing the need to replace batteries frequently.

ebike Beta Testing

Lyft is conducting public beta testing in the Bay Area. ebikes will be ready for eager users to try it out in any Bay Wheels station. Upon further testing and evaluation, they plan to branch out in Chicago with Divvy later in 2021.

Pricing & Usage Duration

Since the new Lyft ebikes are currently available in any Bay Wheels station, so far, the cost per 45-minute ride is approximately $13/mo.

Pricing for other cities varies, starting at $2/ride. Rides at select cities start at $0.20/minute for select cities), having an unlock fee, starting at $1.

Motivate and Lyft Acquisition in 2018

In 2018, Lyft extended its rideshare capabilities after acquiring Motivate, one of the biggest bike share companies in North America. Since then, the rideshare app has reported that over 1.8 million users have tried their bikes in 2020 for the first time. In general, there have been over 34 million bike and scooter rides in 2020.

As indicated in Lyft’s July 2018 press release, the Motivate acquisition was to ensure sustainability with their Green Cities Initiative. They aim to reduce carbon emissions by minimizing car ownership and provide affordable and accessible ways to get around a city. Through Motivate, they were able to extend operations across different cities, such as:

• New York, NY
• San Francisco, CA
• Chicago, IL
• Portland, OR
• Minneapolis, MN
• Columbus, OH
• Metro DC

Their bikeshare service is also available in Santa Monica, CA, and Denver, CO.

Lyft Bikeshare: Quick History

In 2019, Lyft bikes were made available in New York City through Citi Bikes. In the same year, the Ford GoBike (the bikeshare system in Bay Area, SF) rebranded as Bay Wheels. Lyft also started offering ebikes at this time. Plus, Lyft declared Denver its multimodal city after launching the bike and scooter program in 2021.

Lyft has also used its bikes for good, making them more accessible to the general public. 

At the height of the pandemic, Lyft will help critical workers have access to bikes for one year. This is in partnership with Citi for their Critical Workforce Membership Program in New York, wherein Citi set aside $1 million for this program. Plus, it opened 100 more stations to help frontline workers (healthcare, first-response, transportation) get to their workplaces faster and easier.

Those in Lyft’s Jobs Access Program were given the opportunity to use any of Lyft’s current transportation offerings for a much more affordable price. Not only that, Lyft kept bikeshare access to help the public acquire their essentials. Plus, they also supported communities of color and gave over 1 million free or discounted rides.

Lyft also broke records in 2020, where millions of riders used Lyft Bikes across the nation despite the ongoing pandemic. And Lyft remains hopeful that the bike boom will flourish in the coming years as the economy starts to gain traction.