by Brianna Crandall — July 31, 2019 — Zagster, a provider of turnkey operations and support services for micro-mobility products, announced in recent weeks that it has launched what it says is the first electric bike (e-bike) share program for a commercial property in the United States, along with micro-mobility programs for several cities.
E-bike share program for office tower in Greater Los Angeles
In partnership with GenZe, the Silicon Valley-based electric micro-mobility startup recently acquired by Mahindra Automotive North America, the innovative e-bike share amenity program is being offered at Glendale Plaza, a DivcoWest commercial property at 655 North Central Avenue in Glendale, California, located eight miles north of Downtown Los Angeles. The office tower counts DreamWorks Animation among its tenants.
The program will launch with 15 electric bikes, which will be provided free of charge and exclusively to tenants. Zagster will manage GenZe’s fleet of e-bikes.
Peter Hong, general manager, DivcoWest, remarked:
We are thrilled to be able to be the first commercial property in the United States to provide e-bikes to our tenants. We want our tenants to get out and enjoy the vibrant Glendale community — such as The Americana at Brand, but what we’ve found is many of the destinations are too close for a car and too far for a pedal bike. The e-bike is the perfect mode of transportation to connect our tenants with the community.
A 2018 National Institute for Transportation study found that e-bike riders bike more often, take longer trips, and make different types of trips than they do on pedal bikes. While the popularity of e-bikes is on the rise in the United States, other parts of the world have already witnessed significant adoption, points out Zagster.
DivcoWest anticipates that tenants will leverage the availability of e-bikes to run errands, grab lunch, and other activities without the risk of losing their parking spot or facing the notorious traffic in Los Angeles.
Timothy Ericson, founder and chief business officer, Zagster, stated:
We’ve partnered with DivcoWest since 2015 to provide pedal bike sharing to its world-class tenants, and we are excited to partner on the first-ever launch of shared e-bikes at a commercial real estate property. There is a world of opportunity in providing the experience of e-bikes to the enterprise market and we look forward to delivering our operational excellence to other commercial property owners in the future.
Tom Valasek, chief commercial officer, GenZe, noted:
DivcoWest has a clear vision for how micro-mobility amenities can create a better experience for its tenants. It is the perfect application for our e-bikes, which are specifically designed to offer an affordable, easy to use, zero-emissions alternative to traditional personal transportation options.
Micro-mobility programs for several US cities
Zagster also announced that it has launched a scooter sharing program for Albuquerque, New Mexico, in partnership with Spin, the e-scooter startup backed by Ford Motors; a bike share program for Salem, Oregon, in partnership with nonprofit Osborne Adventures [Ride Salem]; a scooter sharing program for Wichita, Kansas, with scooters again provided by Spin; and a scooter share pilot program for Salem, Massachusetts, again in partnership with Spin.
Zagster offers turnkey operations and professional support services for scooters, pedal bikes and e-bikes — any micro-mobility product, currently operating more than 250 micro-mobility vehicle shares across 35 states. A map of locations currently served is available on the Zagster website, along with details about the company’s services.
