California Unveiled 'The Secret Weapon Of Sustainable Transportation' On Oakland's Streets

Public bikeshare programs are hardly new in the U.S. The first one launched in Washington, D.C. in 2008, and according to a Bureau of Transportation Statistics report in 2025, the country currently has 72 docked and 80 dockless bikeshare systems. But an e-bike sharing program is a relatively novel concept, and Oakland, a diverse California city and buzzed-about foodie capital, is the latest urban area to try it out. 

In late September, 50 electric bikes became available to residents, part of the new Oakland E-Bike Library. Mayor Barbara Lee and other project leaders spoke at a press conference last week at Fruitville Bike Station at the Fruitville BART station, home base for the e-bike rental program's initial rollout. As Justin Hu-Nguyen, a co-executive director of the advocacy group Bike East Bay, said at the event, e-bikes are "the secret weapon of sustainable transportation."

The eco-friendliness of electric bikes is indeed indisputable. E-bikes cut down on pollution and waste in many ways: they're quiet, their batteries are long-lasting, they release no carbon emissions, they don't cause air pollution, and they inflict little damage on roadways (compared to cars and motorcycles). It's no wonder that cities like Boston, Richmond, and Madison, Wisconsin — nicknamed "the biking capital of the Midwest" — have already implemented their own e-bike libraries.

Oakland residents ages 18 and above are eligible to borrow e-bikes through the program, provided they meet a few conditions. Since e-bikes are expensive and theft can be a problem, participants must have access to a secure indoor or enclosed place to store the bike when it's not being used. In addition to the regular rates — $120 for four weeks for most residents, or $20 for four weeks for low-income Oaklanders enrolled in government programs like SNAP and CalFresh — riders must be able to put down a $500 deposit on a credit or debit card. When the bike is returned at the end of the rental period, the same amount is automatically refunded.

Once you're on an e-bike, Oakland is yours to explore, especially since electric models allow cyclists to move faster and navigate hills more easily than a standard bicycle. The city is extremely bike-friendly, with 160 miles of cycling paths, including the Bay Trail at Jack London Square, a popular waterfront bike route that offers views of one of the world's most breathtaking downtown skylines — San Francisco.

Beginners can try an easy 14-mile ride that starts at the Rockridge BART station, skirting around Lake Merritt and the Brooklyn Basin on the trip out to the Coliseum stadium. A longer 38-mile loop, an intermediate route that starts and ends in Rockridge, follows a similar course before climbing up into the wooded Oakland Hills.