About the Berkeley E-Bike Equity Project
Through the Berkeley E-Bike Equity Project (BEEP), Waterside Workshops has distributed 56 electric bikes (e-bikes) to income-qualified Berkeley households for their long-term use. The program is part of the City of Berkeley’s Pilot Climate Equity Fund, established in 2022 to cut greenhouse gas emissions and reduce the impact of climate change on low-income residents. Additional funding for this project is provided by the UC Berkeley Chancellor’s Community Partnership Fund.
Although low-income households produce relatively small amounts of greenhouse gases, they are harmed disproportionately by environmental pollution and climate disasters caused by global warming. The Berkeley E-Bike Equity Project seeks to increase e-bike access within the city, helping to provide mobility and climate resilience benefits to Berkeley residents.
“Micro-mobility and modal shift are key strategies to meet our climate action goals,” said Councilmember Terry Taplin, who represents District 2 in the City of Berkeley and serves as an Advisory Board Member for Waterside Workshops. “Climate justice means making meaningful and reparative investments in frontline communities. I could not be more excited for Waterside’s e-bike project.”
In partnership with GRID Alternatives Bay Area, community outreach commenced in October 2022, and over 600 applications for the project were received in February and March 2023. Using a lottery process, 56 Berkeley residents were selected to participate. In order to qualify, applicants submitted documentation showing that they are a Berkeley resident, over 18 years of age, and have a household income of less than 80% of the area median income (AMI) for Alameda County or currently participate in an income-qualified program such as SNAP, PG&E CARE, or Medicaid.
Distribution of e-bikes began in May 2023 and concluded in June 2023. Participants submit quarterly odometer readings and surveys about their e-bike riding habits, helping to inform future climate equity actions. In the first three months of the program, riders traveled a total of 6,504 miles, and 76% of participants reported spending less on transportation.
“We’re excited to partner with the City of Berkeley and GRID Alternatives to offer climate resilience benefits to our community members,” said Neil Larsen, former Executive Director of Waterside Workshops. “Expanding access to e-bikes will help make our city greener and improve the mobility of our neighbors who may have limited transportation options.”
As a key component of the project, Waterside is offering high-road workforce training to youth bike mechanics participating in paid job training internships. Interns helped assemble the e-bikes and are performing quarterly maintenance checks and repairs, allowing them to gain hands-on experience in a rapidly expanding segment of the bike industry.
“We look forward to working with Waterside Workshops to implement this forward-thinking project that combines providing clean mobility options and workforce development for residents and youth of the City of Berkeley,” said Arthur Bart-Williams, Executive Director of GRID Alternatives Bay Area.
Thank you for your interest in this project. If you have additional questions, please contact us. If you own an e-bike, see how Street Level Cycles, our bike repair shop, can assist you with any needed repairs.
Media Links:
KCBS: Berkeley’s pilot research program leases e-bikes to low-income residents
KCBS: Berkeley pilot program offers free e-bikes to low-income residents
Berkeleyside: Low-income Berkeley residents can apply now for a free e-bike
Program Updates – April 2024
In March 2024, Hannah Otto, Berkeley E-Bike Equity Project (BEEP) Program Manager, presented on the program’s status at the Bay Area Electric Vehicle (EV) Convening Council hosted by Bay Area Air Quality Management District, Bay Area Metro, and Actterra.
The Council convenes a diverse group of EV stakeholders quarterly to discuss EV trends, information, and best practices. This meeting focused on electric bicycles and their impacts and growth potential in the Bay Area, and Hannah’s presentation was the first to center on active equitable programming. Other presenters included Brett Thurber from The New Wheel and Clarrissa Cabansagan from Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition.
As for the BEEP participants, we are pleased to report that almost all are in their tenth month of using the provided e-bikes. They continue to share their mileage through monthly odometer readings and respond to quarterly surveys answering questions about their bike riding habits and experiences.
The participants report using their e-bike most frequently to shop or run errands and have ridden more than 16,000 miles since receiving their e-bikes! We anticipate this number will grow as we enter the warmer and dryer months.
Waterside Workshops, through our retail bike shop Street Level Cycles, has provided two quarterly mechanical tune-ups and a third will begin in April. Street Level Cycles youth interns continue to repair the fleet and expand their knowledge working on e-bikes through our internship curriculum.
From recent surveys e-bike riders say:
- “My housemates were intimidated to go to Berkeley Bowl, but using the e-bike makes trips there much easier with parking, so we have more good, cheap produce. I’m biking more and often encourage my friends to bike as well, and sometimes bike with friends when going to the gym or a cafe.”
- “I love my e-bike! It’s so great! I feel pretty confident on the bike, especially after I attended the Urban Cycling 101 class (Day 1) with Bike East Bay.”
- “When it is not raining the car doesn’t move at all. I’ve saved over $1,000 in gas so far”
Most participants report being incredibly thankful for the e-bike and the impact it has had on their lifestyles including their involvement in the community. We are happy with our response rate, which has varied between 60-80% throughout the program.
To build connections throughout this program, last summer we hosted a BBQ at the Berkeley Marina for participants and Waterside’s community at large.
In December, we collaborated with the Kala Art Institute’s Municipal Artist in Residency, Cheryl Deloitte. Cheryl provided a hands-on workshop for our participants to engage in book binding three different ways! This spring we will be hosting our first-ever Bike East Bay class on May 14th to teach participants how to change their own flat tires.
Participant data collection will continue through July 2024 and then we will begin data analysis with Tom Lent, Walk Bike Berkeley’s E-bike Project Coordinator, who has graciously volunteered his time for this pilot. Check out Tom’s incredible collection of resources on his website. GRID Alternatives Bay Area will finalize these results and draft the final report in collaboration with UC Berkeley’s TSRC researchers. This report is anticipated in September 2024. The final report will illuminate the impacts of e-bikes on the Berkeley community, individuals’ health as well as transportation budgets. We will also compile relevant data around vehicle usage and vehicle ownership metrics.
