San Rafael commuters will keep their e-bikeshare for three more years. A $1 million state grant secured by Sen. Mike McGuire will extend the Redwood Bikeshare program and expand it to every SMART station along the North Bay rail corridor.

The funding extends the program beyond its scheduled October 2026 pilot expiration and calls for bikeshare service to expand to every SMART station along the rail corridor.

Local News Matters reported the extension on Sept. 28, citing a statement from McGuire's office.

Kate Colin, chair of the Transportation Authority of Marin (TAM) and a San Rafael representative, said in McGuire's Sept. 24 press release that the funding was critical to the program's survival. "Without this critical funding from Senator McGuire, this hugely successful pilot could have come to an end," Colin said.

Redwood Bikeshare launched in October 2024 as a two-year pilot, a joint effort between TAM and the Sonoma County Transportation and Climate Authorities (SCTCA). The original pilot was funded through a Metropolitan Transportation Commission grant, with an $820,000 contract with Drop Mobility to operate the system.

The system now has 300 pedal-assist e-bikes parked at 56 hubs across seven cities: Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park, Cotati, Petaluma, San Rafael, Novato and Larkspur. Riders have logged 28,474 trips since launch, according to McGuire's office. About 60% of those trips started or ended at a SMART station.

Chris Coursey, SMART board chair and Sonoma County supervisor, said in the same press release that SMART ridership has grown roughly 26% year-over-year since the bikeshare launched. McGuire's office said the bikeshare program itself is on track for approximately 75% year-over-year growth in trips.

For San Rafael riders, the standard rate is $1 to unlock a bike plus $0.25 per minute. Monthly memberships cost $20 and include 60 minutes of ride time per day with no unlock fee. Income-qualified riders can get the same daily ride allowance for $5 a month.

The expansion timeline remains unclear. No schedule for adding e-bike hubs at new SMART stations has been announced.