NORTHAMPTON — ValleyBike Share will continue to ride its electric bikesharing service in 10 Pioneer Valley communities over the next two years thanks to a $1.5 million state grant aimed at expanding microtransit and first and last mile transit options.
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation grant will enable the program to finish its transition from its older bike models to the newer Drop Mobility e-bikes in Northampton, Easthampton and South Hadley. It also broadens the program’s capacity to take on new communities and areas of service.
“With this grant, MassDOT is acknowledging that bikeshare, or micromobility, and last-mile transit is an important piece of the overall transport puzzle across the commonwealth,” Northampton Director of Planning and Sustainability Carolyn Misch said. “State transport systems, whether it’s the MassPike or MBTA, all rely on public funding, and micromobility public transit is equally in need of sustained public support.”
Using $10 million of Fair Share funding from the fiscal year 2025 supplementary budget, the Microtransit and Last Mile Transit Grant Program expands transit options for those stretches in between transit hubs and destinations. Microtransit straddles the line between private rideshare services and public buses by supplying flexible routes to multiple people. Last-mile connections provide transportation between the bus stop and the passenger’s destination.
“This is an important next step toward a more equitable transportation system that prioritizes all modes and all users,” Northampton Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra said in a statement. “This funding enables ValleyBike Share to continue to provide transportation for residents throughout the Valley to connect to regional bus transit and other destinations where transit does not currently exist. ”
Without support from MassDOT, Misch said the future funding source of the program remained unclear. This grant, however, provides two years of stable funding for the program.
“This funding is important for the region because bikeshare has become such an important piece of providing access to jobs and schools and shopping for people in our region and all the communities that are participating have really grown to rely on that,” Misch said.
ValleyBike Share will replace 135 bikes in Northampton, Easthampton and South Hadley from the old model to a more modern, lightweight design. The large docks currently seen around Northampton will also be replaced with standard bike racks.
The other seven cities and towns in the program — Springfield, Holyoke, Amherst, West Springfield, Chicopee, Westfield and the University of Massachusetts Amherst campus —already offer the newer bike model.
The grant will also grow the program within these communities and beyond. Misch said the 10-community consortium will need to pinpoint gaps in areas of service and discuss the next possible community to join the program. Belchertown and Hadley have expressed some interest, Misch said.
“We are making sure that we are reaching the goal of creating first- and last-mile access but also wanting to do it in a way that can be accommodated by our operator without making it too far outside the region,” she said.
Northampton is one of three municipalities to receive grants for regional bikeshare programs. The other six awards went to expand microtransit, including a $3.25 million grant for 14 regional transit communities to expand these services.
ValleyBike Share, launched in 2018 with five communities, went on hiatus from spring 2023 to summer 2024 while the city found a replacement e-bike vendor for Bewegen Technologies, who defaulted on its contract with Northampton and declared bankruptcy.
The program contracted with San Francisco-based company Drop Mobility in May 2024 and reopened in August 2025. Since then, ValleyBike Share has slowly built back up its fleet of ebikes from 350 to nearly 500 bikes.
Those seeking to use ValleyBike Share must have the ValleyBike app installed on their cellphones. Plans available include a pay-as-you-go option that costs 25 cents a minute, plus $1 to unlock the bike; a monthly plan that costs $25 (currently $15 under a spring season promotion) and includes 60 minutes of free ride time per day, followed by a 15 cents per minute charge afterward; and an equity membership plan available for people who either qualify for SNAP, MassHealth/Medicaid and/or Social Security Disability Insurance that costs $4 month and includes 60 minutes of free ride time per day, followed by 10 cents per minute afterward.