Electric bike and car sharing programs preparing to launch at Stockton

Getting around Stockton may soon become easier for residents in low-income neighborhoods.

The San Joaquin Council of Governments’ Stockton Mobility Collective is aimed at improving transportation options for residents who are looking for clean, affordable ways to travel to jobs, schools, healthcare, grocery stores and other key destinations.

“Not only are we thinking about this from the mobility perspective, but the other key aspect of the Stockton Mobility Collective is to think about mobility from an equity lens,” senior regional planner Christine Corrales said. “How are we improving mobility, not just for everyone, but especially for those who don’t have access to a car in Stockton?”

The Stockton Mobility Collective is funded by a $7.4 million grant from the Sustainable Transportation Equity Project. The grant was awarded to the San Joaquin Council of Governments in November 2020 by the Air Resources Board.

Corrales said the collective is looking to improve mobility for Stockton residents by rolling out several new programs, including an electric bike share program, an electric car share program, and an app called Vamos Mobility.

The bike share program will provide Stockton residents access to 100 electric-assist smart bikes at approximately 12 stations or hubs that host five to 12 bikes per station, according to the San Joaquin Council of Governments’ website. The car share program will have 30 electric vehicles at approximately six or seven stations centered in downtown Stockton along major north-south transportation corridors.

Stockton Mobility Collective car share project manager Christine Corrales uses an app to access a Miocar Nissan Leaf at the San Joaquin County of Governments office in downtown Stockton.

“Hopefully we will be seeing the bike share and car share programs available in the community by late 2022 or early 2023,” Corrales said.

Corrales also said the bike share and car share programs are going to be “membership-based.”

While residents are currently unable to sign up for the electric bike share program, residents who are interested in the electric car share program can sign up for a membership at miocar.org.

To be eligible, residents must be at least 21 years old, have a valid driver’s license, a relatively clean driving record, and a valid credit, debit or bank card. Electric cars will be cost residents at a per-hour rate as low as $4 per hour or $35 a day.

“At this time when folks are getting ready to go back into the community as we phase out of COVID-19, I think this is a really timely resource to facilitate people getting back out there, especially for those that are transit-dependent or don ‘t have their own vehicle,” Corrales said.

Although electric car rentals won’t be available until the fall, Corrales said that Stockton residents can utilize the Vamos Mobility app for their transportation needs now.

“This is something that residents can download today and it helps them plan their transit trips throughout San Joaquin County and soon Stanislaus County,” Corrales said. “So, let’s say you’re in Lodi and you want to get to Tracy. You can plan your trip from Lodi to Tracy on the transit system and it’ll tell you where to transfer, how much your fare is, and it’ll let you pay for your fare on the app.”

Corrales said the Stockton Mobility Collective is looking to integrate the electric bike share and electric car share programs with the Vamos Mobility app. She said they are planning to add features which will allow users to book car share trips through the app and locate bikes that are available to rent.

“Anyone who is looking for other alternatives to driving, this is going to be your app to get around in San Joaquin County,” Corrales said.

To stay updated on the Stockton Mobility Collective, visit sjcog.org.

Record reporter Hannah Workman covers news in Stockton and San Joaquin County. She can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @byhannahworkman. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.

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