E-bike, e-scooter program activates the people of Rochester

 Driving downtown by Parcel 5 or the Liberty Pole on a warm day, you’ll run into a lot of them: electric scooters, electric bikes and pedal bikes are planted around the city, and eventually surrounding suburbs.

It’s a new bike and scooter share program that launched Friday, June 4. Partnering with vendor company HOPR, The City of Rochester is offering 200 pedal bikes, 200 electric bikes and 100 electric scooters.

Tom Brede with Rochester Regional Transit Service says it’s a couple years in the works – inspired after a previous share vendor, Zagster/PACE left.

Brede says RTS was able to apply for a grant to bring on the new vendor, with the goal of expanding the share program into the surrounding suburbs.

“It’s needed, people want this option, but it also speaks to how easy it is to use you just download the app, attach method of payment, follow the instructions,” he said.

He says this is just the beginning — the goal is to get even more racks on the streets.