Chattanooga is testing a potential expansion of its bike share program.
An electric bike which is party of the city's bike-share program is docked outside of Outdoor Chattanooga near Coolidge Park on Tuesday, July 24, 2018, in Chattanooga, Tenn. The city-run Bike Chattanooga added 15 electric bikes to its system last week as part of a pilot program. Program directors asked members to test out the product before a public unveiling at an Aug. 1 event at Waterhouse Pavilion in Miller Plaza.
Bike Chattanooga is trying to connect more residents with the program by appealing to a larger user group.
"I don't know that I'll ever want to ride a bike share bike that's not one of these. Chattanooga has some hilly terrain, even downtown. Using this bike is just easy," Outdoor Chattanooga Executive Director Philip Grymes said. "The hills, you don't notice them. You just cruise right up them."
The e-bikes have no throttle, instead detecting how much boost each rider needs to maintain their speed and effort level. The bikes have a maximum speed of 15 miles per hour and can be used for a number of purposes, said Ben Taylor, with the Chattanooga Department of Transportation. The bikes help equalize riders of differing skill levels, allow commuters to ride to work without sweating heavily, and assist older riders who are unable to ride traditional bikes.
An electric bike which is party of the city's bike-share program is docked outside of Outdoor Chattanooga near Coolidge Park on Tuesday, July 24, 2018, in Chattanooga, Tenn. Electric Bike Specialists manager Lewis Armistead has seen the benefits firsthand. The company has been in Chattanooga for 10 years, renting and selling e-bikes.
"The biggest thing is it's an equilizer between different riders in a group setting," Armistead said. "I'm really excited about it. I think the more awareness of e-bikes, the better for us. I definitely see the tide making all parties rise."
The e-bikes are expected to cost the city two to three times the amount of a traditional bike if program leaders decide to purchase them at the end of the pilot phase, Taylor said. However, the Lyndhurst Foundation has provided funds to cover the potential purchase and users will pay the same fee for e-bikes as traditional bikes. There are no planned pricing changes to support the program, Taylor said. The city hopes the higher price will be offset by more users. If the pilot goes well, the city plans to continue expanding.
"They'll almost spoil you from riding a regular bike," Taylor said. "We hope to put more in the system, but that all depends on usership. As we have the ability to expand this system and replace bikes, we'll try to go toward e-bikes, more than likely."
The pilot introduced 15 electric bikes to the city's 340-bike share program and is being offered to the city for free under a partnership with bike manufacturer PBSC Urban Solutions.
Three new docking stations also have been added to the system. The newer docking stations have updated technology that will better support the e-bikes. They also allow for a smoother docking process. E-bikes can be dropped off at any docking station and can travel 35 miles on one charge. City employees occasionally will move them to the three new stations for complete charging.
An electric bike which is party of the city's bike-share program is docked outside of Outdoor Chattanooga near Coolidge Park on Tuesday, July 24, 2018, in Chattanooga, Tenn. There are now 41 bike share stations throughout Chattanooga. Users have totaled 307,000 trips combining for 1.3 million miles since the program launched July 23, 2012.
The city will celebrate the launch and the sixth anniversary of the program with the Aug. 1 event at noon at Miller Plaza. Lunch will be provided by MoJo Burrito. There will be a group ride on the e-bikes to mark the occasion.
Contact staff writer Mark Pace at mpace@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6659. Follow him on Twitter @themarkpace and on Facebook at ChattanoogaOutdoorsTFP.
An electric bike which is party of the city's bike-share program is docked outside of Outdoor Chattanooga near Coolidge Park on Tuesday, July 24, 2018, in Chattanooga, Tenn.