The San Joaquin Council of Governments (SJCOG) is expanding its growing bikesharing program beyond Stockton to throughout the county and rebranding the service as Bike San Joaquin.

Bike San Joaquin offers long-term lending for electric pedal-assist bicycles for qualified users and a more traditional daily round trip service to and from partner-hosted locations. The expansion of the bikesharing program is being made possible by a state Clean Mobility Options (CMO) Voucher Pilot Program grant to SJCOG with partner Drop Mobility managing the operation. Early expansion will focus on the long-term lending program and SJCOG will work with community partners and other stakeholders to gauge demand and find possible host sites for the daily service.

“It’s a very exciting time in shared mobility and SJCOG has been leading the way in the San Joaquin region,” Stockton Mayor and SJCOG Board Chair Christina Fugazi said. “This expansion means people throughout the county will have access to clean, affordable transportation to run errands and do other things important to them. It means more equity in transportation that opens opportunities to more people. It’s a win for everyone in the county when people are given a chance to lift themselves up.”

The current bikesharing program provides users with access to electric pedal-assist bikes through long-term lending or round-trip rental options, making it easier to travel to jobs, school, health care, recreational outings, and other destinations without relying on personal vehicles.

“We always knew when we started the bikeshare program that we wanted it to grow to provide the same benefits to people throughout the county,” SJCOG Executive Director Diane Nguyen said. “Now, the hard work of SJCOG staff and our partners, the trust of SJCOG member jurisdictions, and the loyalty of our bikeshare users is coming together for a major payoff for equitable mobility in San Joaquin County.”

Drop Mobility is a leading bike share provider in North America.

“Bikes have the power to make a huge difference—not just in terms of transportation, but in building stronger, more connected communities,” said Dipesh Dar, COO of Drop Mobility.

SJCOG’s bike sharing program was launched in April 2023 as Bike Stockton, a part of the agency’s innovative Stockton Mobility Collective (SMC) initiative. SMC, which also included electric carsharing, mobility incentives and workforce development, was funded by a $7.4 million grant from California Air Resources Board's Sustainable Transportation Equity Project (STEP). The Bike San Joaquin is funded through the new state CMO Voucher Pilot Program.

CMO is a statewide initiative that provides funding for zero-emission shared mobility options to underresourced communities in California. CMO is available throughout California to eligible disadvantaged communities, as well as eligible low-income tribal and affordable-housing communities, to increase access to safe, reliable, convenient and affordable transportation options

The project is part of the California Climate Investments, a statewide initiative that puts billions of cap-and-trade dollars to work reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening the economy, and improving public health and the environment, particularly in disadvantaged communities. It is also part of the California Energy Commission’s Clean Transportation Program, which is investing more than $1 billion to accelerate the deployment of zero-emission transportation infrastructure and support in-state manufacturing and workforce training and development. CMO is administered by CALSTART in partnership with Shared-Use Mobility Center.
Drop Mobility was selected to provide the e-bikes, software, and operations for the Bike San Joaquin bikeshare program. Drop Mobility helps municipalities, transit organizations and non-profits build local, sustainable bike share systems and is active in more than 60 markets across North America. For further information, visit dropmobility.com.