Big news for anyone who wants to get around the Bay Area on two wheels: Today, the Ford GoBike system has a new name — Bay Wheels. We’re also launching a brand-new ebike that you can access with just two taps in the Lyft app.
We’ve been working for many months on this new hybrid ebike and are thrilled to finally debut it in the Bay Area. It has brand new features that will make bikeshare better than ever — such as pedal-assist for those infamous hills, plus a new lock that will let you park outside of a station.
Riders in San Jose will see these new ebikes starting today. We’re working to add them to our fleets in San Francisco and the East Bay in the coming weeks.
We’re partnering with renowned Bay Area artists to transform the classic blue GoBikes into pieces of mobile art. Below, you can check out our collaboration with Oakland-based artist Hueman. She and the rest of the amazing artists have created eye-catching designs that make the bikes feel brand-new and rooted in the vibrant arts culture of the Bay Area. We’ll be revealing even more new artists and designs this summer.
Okay, so this is a lot of new info. You’ve got questions, we’ve got answers.
How do I park this new bike?
We’re so excited to combine the reliability of docked bikeshare with the flexibility of dockless bikes. Every rider should know where to find a bike, and that they can always park it wherever. Our ebikes give you two locking options:
Dock at any Bay Wheels station. The same way you would dock a classic bike.
Lock to any public bike rack within the designated service area. At the end of your ride, use the cable lock located on the rear wheel to lock your bike to a public bike rack anywhere in the service area. (The service area is shown in the Lyft app on the map.) Be mindful of others when locking your bike. Stick to bike racks and do not block sidewalks, pathways, or wheelchair ramps.
So you’ll have two different kinds of bikes on the street in the Bay Area?
Yes! We’ll have the classic bikes, which you’ll be able to recognize by their beautiful new art designs, and we’ll have the black ebikes, which can be docked at stations and public bike racks.
When will the new ebikes get to my neighborhood?
Very soon! We’re working closely with our city partners to bring these to San Francisco and the East Bay in the coming weeks. Stay tuned for more details.
What’s with the art?
When we started thinking about rebranding our system, we surveyed our city partners, members, and community organizations for ideas. What we heard was a desire for the bikes to reflect the unique culture and longstanding artistic tradition of the Bay Area. In short: art, art, art! We’re thrilled to have custom artwork adorning our bikes from renowned local artists. As we change over all the bikes and stations in the coming weeks, our fleet will end up becoming one of the largest public art exhibits ever!
What if I don’t have a bikeshare membership?
You’re in luck — two taps on the Lyft app will get you riding. Single trips cost $2 for 30 minutes. Need to ride longer? It's just $3 for each additional 15 minutes.
What if I have a Ford GoBike membership? What do I need to do to ride Bay Wheels?
In order to access the new ebikes, you need to link your bikeshare account with Lyft and use the Lyft app to find and unlock the ebikes. Just follow these steps:
Download or open the latest version of the Lyft app for Apple or Android.
Open the menu and tap your profile.
Tap Bikeshare Account under Linked Accounts.
Tap Bay Wheels and enter your Bay Wheels membership email and password. Happy riding!
Will the Ford GoBike app still work?
The Ford GoBike app will magically change to Bay Wheels once you update the app. You can use the new Bay Wheels app to unlock classic pedal bikes that are docked in stations.
If you want to ride one of the new ebikes, use the Lyft app to unlock (and you can link an existing bikeshare membership). In the coming months, we will add this functionality to the Bay Wheels app as we rework it and make it even better!