Portland’s Biketown will go all electric in September with new fleet from Lyft, expanded service area

Portland’s Biketown rental service is poised for a dramatic expansion and overhaul in September that will include an all-electric-assist fleet from ride hailing giant Lyft, city officials announced.

The changes mean Biketown isn’t going anywhere through the summer of 2025 at least, and city leaders hope to eventually expand service to as many as 3,000 bikes. Users will be able to rent a bike through a newly configured Biketown app or through Lyft’s smartphone application.

Portland transportation officials announced they have a five-year contract with Lyft to operate the bike rental program, which first started in the city in 2016. Lyft owns Motivate, the bike operations company that already runs the existing system. Simultaneously, the city said it agreed to extend its main sponsorship agreement with Nike for another four years, until 2025. The sponsorship is $2 million per year.
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