PBOT Rolls Out Electric Bikes in Huge Expansion of Biketown Into East Portland

The roll-out begins with 500 e-bikes on an expanded footprint and will soon grow to 1,500, more than the current pedal fleet.

Biketown e-bike
By Nigel Jaquiss

The Portland Bureau of Transportation today announced a major expansion of the geographic footprint of the Biketown bike-sharing program and the availability of 500 new electric bikes.

Previously, Biketown allowed cyclists to rent bikes using a phone app from kiosks located in central parts of Portland. The area now stretches further north and east, as the map below shows (expansion areas in orange). The service area will now cover 32 square miles.

"I am so pleased that Biketown is finally being deployed in East Portland," Transportation Commissioner Chloe Eudaly said in a statement. "This expansion is a significant advancement for transportation equity in East Portland, and it will increase sustainable transportation options for our entire city. I hope that the introduction of electric pedal-assist bikes to our fleet will encourage more Portlanders to try biking, and I look forward to the continued expansion."

PBOT expects the fleet of e-bikes to grow to 1,500 "in coming weeks." Riders can access the e-bikes through the Biketown app or through Lyft.

Over the next four years, PBOT added, the agency plans to expand the Biketown's service territory to a total of 40 square miles and build its fleet to 3,000 e-bikes.

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