Bay Area

Electric Bikeshare and Carshare Debut in the San Joaquin Region

The University of the Pacific hosted San Joaquin Council of Governments and its partners as they launched the Stockton Mobility Collective at a Rise ‘N’ Ride event Saturday. Stockton Mobility Collective project brings clean, affordable transportation to serve economically disadvantaged communities through its nonprofit electric bikeshare and carshare programs.

Published

1 year ago

April 13, 2023

Oakland Post

Olivia Mitchell returns after riding an e-bike across the campus during Rise ‘N’ Ride at University of the Pacific in Stockton, Calif., on April 1, 2023. (Harika Maddala/Bay City News/Catchlight Local)

By Harika Maddala
Bay City News

The University of the Pacific hosted San Joaquin Council of Governments and its partners as they launched the Stockton Mobility Collective at a Rise ‘N’ Ride event Saturday.

Stockton Mobility Collective project brings clean, affordable transportation to serve economically disadvantaged communities through its nonprofit electric bikeshare and carshare programs. The project also includes mobility incentives and a workforce development program – to train Stockton residents in marketable fleet management and operational skills.

Part of the Rise ‘N’ Ride event, the program’s electric cars and bikes were showcased to the community with a chance to test-ride the bikes. The program, funded by a $7.4 million California Air Resources Board Sustainable Transportation Equity Project grant.

The carshare program is managed by nonprofit electric vehicle carsharing service ‘Miocar’. “We are currently working on bringing 30 vehicles for the whole program, and they will be available in different locations across Stockton,” said Christine Tran, assistant regional planner at SJCOG.

Tran said, as of April 1, there are two sites available to pick up cars in Stockton – one at Conway Homes in South Stockton and another on Grand Canal Boulevard near Chic-Fil-A on West March Lane.

Users can access the cars through the Miocar Networks application of App Store and Google Play Store. The account requires driver’s license and a payment method, with an initial charge of $20 which will be credited back to account to use after booking a vehicle.

The bikeshare program called ‘Bike Stockton’ is managed by the San Joaquin Regional Transit District. “Right now, we’re at phase one launch, and we have five stations across Stockton, with 40 bikes out,” said Nathan Schultz, director of operations at Bike Stockton.

Schultz said Bike Stockton aims to have 10 to 12 bike stations with 105 bikes in 2023.

The bikes are available to rent through the ‘Bike Share’ application on App Store and Google Play Store. A bike can be unlocked with a payment of $1, and the rider will be charged $0.15 per minute. The app also offers an annual pass for $40, with riders getting 30 minutes of free ride time per day and will be charged $0.05 per minutes after the free 30 minutes ride time.

Jessica Bilecki, sustainability director at UoP, said the university is hosting one of the e-bike stations by the library patio off of David Brubeck Way.

“It’s a huge benefit for students,” Bilecki said “It gives them more affordable options for getting to and off campus to access resources.”

Many students took the opportunity to ride the bikes, taking turns getting back on them for a second ride across the campus. “It’s very fast, you barely hit the pedal and you just go,” Olivia Mitchell said of her first time experiencing riding an e-bike.

The bikes ride at a maximum speed of 16 mph.

“Those things are very fast here. Yeah, I didn’t expect them to be that fast,” said Shawn Chatrath, digital media manager for Downtown Stockton. “But that’s good. You know, you can get around really, really quickly around this whole city.”

Copyright © 2023 Bay City News, Inc. All rights reserved. Republication, rebroadcast or redistribution without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Bay City News is a 24/7 news service covering the greater Bay Area.

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Op-Ed Senate Bill 966 Threatens Health Equity in East Bay

My East Bay community is struggling to get by. A proposed State Senate bill would set us back even further. Serving the East Bay community has been my life’s work and my greatest joy. After leaving the Bay Area to complete my seminary, I returned home to found The Community Church in Oakland. From the outset of my time as the church’s pastor, I have been guided by the belief that my service must extend beyond the pulpit, because the health and economic needs of my community are so great. Our church has organized free food banks, COVID-19 testing clinics, and a housing and re-entry program for those suffering from addiction.

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1 week ago

July 19, 2024

Oakland Post

Rev. Dr. Lawrence E. VanHook

By Rev. Dr. Lawrence E. VanHook

Special to the Post

My East Bay community is struggling to get by. A proposed State Senate bill would set us back even further.

Serving the East Bay community has been my life’s work and my greatest joy. After leaving the Bay Area to complete my seminary, I returned home to found The Community Church in Oakland.

From the outset of my time as the church’s pastor, I have been guided by the belief that my service must extend beyond the pulpit, because the health and economic needs of my community are so great. Our church has organized free food banks, COVID-19 testing clinics, and a housing and re-entry program for those suffering from addiction.

Through my service, I have seen the challenges that our community members are facing. Oakland, my hometown, has the third-highest rate of violent crime in the state. The local economy is strained. Oakland-based businesses are leaving our community because they’re struggling to get ahead.

Both East and West Oakland has disproportionately high rates of respiratory illness due to heavy air pollution. While our local efforts have brought some aid to those in need, we are also counting on our state elected officials to help us address the systemic health disparities afflicting the community.

Chief among the health concerns of community members is having reliable and affordable access to prescription drugs. Equitable access to medications gives us the peace of mind that we can keep ourselves and our families healthy and safe. Our community should not have to choose between paying rent or purchasing prescriptions.

Unfortunately, rather than taking action to combat soaring prescription drug prices, some California lawmakers are pushing legislation that could raise patient costs at the pharmacy counter.

The Legislature is currently considering SB 966, a bill backed by special interests that would undercut the few tools we have to keep prescription drug costs contained, letting big drug companies increase their prices, profiting on the backs of working families – some of whom already live paycheck to paycheck.

SB 966 would target the fundamental programs through which small businesses, unions, and government health programs are able to offer their employees and members quality and affordable healthcare. Millions of Californians rely on these plans to obtain essential medications at the lowest-possible cost.

The bill would make it illegal for employers and unions to incentivize the administrators of their prescription drug plans to negotiate for the lowest possible cost for prescriptions. Right now, small businesses and unions can choose to pay these administrators more for taking on big drug companies and securing discounts – a choice that will be outlawed under this bill.

As a result, employers will have no leverage to stop big drug companies from setting sky-high prices, disproportionately impacting working families.

As these health costs quickly add up, employers will have little choice but to pass the increases down to their employees. That means California patients will see higher healthcare costs and co-pays.

From my perspective, most concerning is that the bill would exacerbate the health disparities impacting my community and other underserved populations. If SB 966 becomes law, the most vulnerable may be forced to skip prescription doses, stop filling their prescriptions, and avoid essential care.

By rejecting this cash grab by big drug companies, our state elected officials can send a clear message that they stand with the community, patients, and working families.

We cannot afford SB 966.

Rev. Dr. VanHook is the founder and pastor of The Community Church in Oakland and the founder of The Charis House, a re-entry facility for men recovering from alcohol and drug abuse.