*** New BIKETOWN for All members will have their first month of membership dues ($5.00) covered as a legacy of the original Pay It Forward program detailed below. ***
BIKETOWN members and account holders can share their love for their bike share system with others this season through our Pay It Forward campaign. This initiative, in its second year, allows BIKETOWN users to donate their credits to BIKETOWN for All – the City’s program for discounted bike share memberships for Portlanders living on low incomes – to cover the first month of membership for BIKETOWN for All members.
How to Pay It Forward:
BIKETOWN offers numerous ways for system users to earn credits on their balance by doing activities that support a well-balanced bike share system, like riding bikes parked outside of a station back to a station or by participating in the BIKETOWN Bonus program. Those credits can then be used to cover the cost of their rides or their monthly membership dues. After signing up, many BIKETOWN users quickly generate more positive credits on their balance than they need – leading to a surplus that could easily be reallocated to users who could use some financial support. Members can check to see if they have a positive balance by logging into their account and can fill out a simple form to indicate their desired credit donation amount. All donated credits will be used to support the BIKETOWN for All "Pay-it-Forward" program.
A BIKETOWN for All membership costs $3 per month and and includes 90 minutes of ride time. The goal of the Pay-It-Forward initiative is to gather enough credits to make the first month free for every BIKETOWN for All member and eliminate a potential hurdle to membership. BIKETOWN for All members will never pay additional fees for going over time limit or parking out of the service area. Individuals who are Oregon Trail Card holders, live in affordable housing, and/or receive other social services can sign up for a BIKETOWN for All membership online at www.biketownforall.com.
There are currently 750 BIKETOWN for All members like John, pictured. The top BIKETOWN rider is a BIKETOWN for All member with a total of 2,200 trips made since the beginning of the program. Of the top ten BIKETOWN users across the bike share system, seven are BIKETOWN for All members. Annual BIKETOWN members, on average, have at least five credits on their account at any given time.
All new BIKETOWN for all Members will receive the $3 Pay-it-Forward credit and, as part of their membership, agree that when they generate enough credit to pay for their next 6 months, $3 will be donated from their account back into the Pay-it-Forward program. The “Pay it Forward” opportunity will be available for general BIKETOWN members this season, to give all BIKETOWN members, not just BIKETOWN for All members, an opportunity to contribute and support the program.
Learn more about BIKETOWN for All at www.biketownforall.com.
Street Roots has been a great partner in educating vendors about BIKETOWN for All, and we're proud that Street Roots vendors are among our top BIKETOWN for All users! Street Roots' mission is to create income opportunities for people experiencing homelessness and poverty by producing a newspaper and other media that are catalysts for individual and social change.
If you don't have account credits or aren't currently a BIKETOWN member (join here) but want to pitch in you can choose to make a donation directly to Street Roots here.