Great news, Bay Areans! Bay Area Bike Share is expanding to the East Bay with a whopping 1,500 bikes and 117 share stations. If you're unfamiliar with Bay Area Bike Share, you're probably familiar with their baby blue bicycles parked at various stations around San Francisco, the Peninsula, and San Jose.
Much like those popular car sharing services, Bay Area Bike Share lets one grab a bike when they need it, without the massive investment in a two-wheeled beauty and constant fear that it might get stolen. Folks can purchase a yearly or short-term pass that allow for unlimited 30-minute rides. The concept has enjoyed success both here as well as in other major American cities like New York and Washington DC.
In the first leg of their three-park expansion, BABS (how great is that acronym?) will place 350 bikes throughout 34 stations at carefully selected spots in Emeryville, Berkeley and Oakland by the end of 2016. The company worked with East Bay residents over the course of several stakeholder meetings to determine the best locations for the stations—and we can't wait to try 'em out.