The 2020 Adaptive MoGo program has come to a close and what a season it has been!
After the COVID-19 pandemic began in March, MoGo made the decision to delay the start of the adaptive program, which typically opens in May. Wheelhouse Detroit, an award-winning bike shop on the Riverwalk and an integral partner to the adaptive program, had scaled back its business in the height of the pandemic. Additionally, like so many other businesses, MoGo needed to find a way to provide its service in a safe way to a population that often faces underlying health conditions.
After several planning discussions with its partners at Programs to Educate All Cyclists (PEAC), MoGo re-opened the adaptive program in August with clear COVID protocols and limited capacity. All 13 cycles were available for reservation three days per week. Additionally, in an effort to reduce the barrier to use, MoGo extended all adaptive member passes for one year and made single trip rides free with just a $5 deposit to hold your reservation.
With the help of PEAC in accommodating riders on the Riverwalk, the Adaptive MoGo program surpassed many expectations for the shortened season. There were more than 20 brand new riders in just two months, we had the highest single-day ride total in the adaptive program’s three-year history, and most importantly, this was a bright spot in what was otherwise a difficult summer for most.
MoGo is so grateful for its adaptive rider community and its partners at PEAC who helped us facilitate the program this summer. Can’t wait to see you all again next Spring!
For more info on the Adaptive MoGo program, visit https://mogodetroit.org/mogo-for-all/adaptive-mogo/.
When 2020 began, MoGo was set to move forward with an ambitious year that included expanding to 6 new service areas in 6 different cities, growing community partnerships through Rider Perks and events, and so much more.
By mid-March, those plans seemed like they would be upended as quarantine began and the coronavirus spread.
Operating amidst a national social movement, a landmark election season, and with a global pandemic taking over our daily lives, MoGo was able to adapt. And, with the support of our riders, partners, sponsors, and more, we were able to make 2020 a landmark year for bikeshare in Metro Detroit.
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While many people were sheltered-in after lockdowns began in March, essential workers and others still needed reliable transit options to get from place to place. As an open-air transit system, MoGo felt it was imperative to not only continue offering our services, but to make bikeshare more accessible to those who needed it most. MoGo responded by adding thorough cleaning and sanitization practices to our regular station visits, and offered free Monthly Passes to all riders for 2 months.
In April and May, MoGo continued our push to provide free Monthly Passes to essential workers and other riders, while keeping our social media updated with the best practices for riding safely during the pandemic. As our original expansion date came and went, we began working on a different approach to our entire expansion process.
June brought with it pass and pricing changes, a national movement, MoGo’s expansion, and an e-bike program for essential workers. Our launch was different than originally planned, for obvious reasons; rather than one big event, MoGo released an expansion video, and traveled to each city to do live-streams at newly-installed MoGo stations. Although direct community engagement was limited, riders in our expansion area started riding immediately after our expansion – a sign that Metro Detroit is ready to embrace bikeshare the way that Detroit has!
The summer brought warm weather, increased COVID awareness, and more reasons to ride. In July, MoGo held the Move With MoGo Rider Challenge, which encouraged riders to take as many rides as they could between MoGo’s 31 new expansion stations for a chance to win passes and other prizes. Over 3 weeks, 12 of our hundreds of riders were declared winners!
For three weeks in August, MoGo participated in farmers markets in Oak Park and Palmer Park. Due to the pandemic, this was the most in-person engagement that MoGo was able to offer in our expansion areas during our first season of operation.
As September began, so did the Adaptive MoGo program. All 13 adaptive cycles were available for reservation three days per week, and in an effort to reduce the barrier to use, MoGo extended all adaptive member passes for another year, and made single trip rides free (with just a $5 deposit to hold reservations).The program surpassed many expectations for the shortened season. There were more than 20 brand new riders in just two months, and it had the highest single-day ride total in the adaptive program’s three-year history
October brought three new Rider Perks partners, topping MoGo off at 10 new Rider Perks in 2020, which nearly doubled our existing Rider Perks partners overall. As of this post, MoGo’s Rider Perks program includes businesses in three of our six expansion areas, all of which were added during the pandemic.
Heading into November, MoGo started releasing news on our Roll to the Polls campaign, which offered free rides to the polls on Election Day. Through a few community rides and live-streams from various polling locations, MoGo helped countless riders cast their vote before and on Election Day. Later in the month, MoGo dedicated a full week to our Rider Perks partners, doing our best to promote small businesses during such a difficult time.
December has brought us a vaccine, a different type of holiday spirit, and MoGo’s Light Bike, located at Beacon Park.
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In a world-changing year, MoGo was able to be successful because you kept riding. We were empowered by all of the testimonials from our featured riders, the dozens of times that we were tagged, mentioned, or featured on riders’ social media, and the fact that 28 percent of MoGo members are Access Pass holders.
With all that said, we’d like to thank you, Metro Detroit, for a successful year of bikeshare. Here’s to many more years of riding with a lot less social distancing.
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Thank you to the cities of Detroit, Ferndale, Huntington Woods, Oak Park, Royal Oak, and Berkley, their governments, and residents for welcoming MoGo into your communities, and thank you to our in-kind sponsors, VMLY&R and Deloitte, for donating time and resources throughout 2020.
Thank you to our title sponsors, Henry Ford Health System and HAP, our Adaptive partners, PEAC and Wheelhouse Detroit, and our Adaptive sponsors, Dalmac and the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation.
Thank you to our partners, MDOT, SEMCOG, Downtown Detroit Partnership, City of Detroit, Shift Transit, DDOT, and PBSC Urban Solutions, our station sponsors, Wayne State University, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Invest Detroit, The Villages Detroit, The Roxbury Group, and The Rattlesnake Club, and our supporters, the Hudson Webber Foundation, The Kresge Foundation, and the Knight Foundation.
Cheers to a safe, prosperous, and healthy 2021!
Throughout the month of October, MoGo participated in the national Roll to the Polls campaign, which offered free rides for the day so that people could have access to their polling locations on Election Day. MoGo was part of a greater effort across the mobility industry in uniting to ensure that every voter had a say in the final outcome of the 2020 election.
We kicked off the Roll to the Polls campaign midway through October by encouraging voters in MoGo’s service area to ride to their nearest ballot box and vote early. Between social media posts, socially-distanced group rides to polling locations, and a special Roll to the Polls page on our website, which featured ballot box and polling locations for each city in our service area, MoGo was able to capture thousands of Metro Detroiters’ attention. There were over a thousand visits to MoGo’s Roll to the Polls page, and countless rides taken to polling locations, enabling many people to participate in the democratic process.
In everything that we do, MoGo strives to be equitable, accessible, and reliable to the Metro Detroit community. These principles were especially important during a pivotal election season, as voters needed greater accessibility to their polls, with a reliable way to get there.
MoGo is proud of the success of the Roll to the Polls initiative, and will continue to develop campaigns, provide discounts, and remain engaged with the Metro Detroit community when important events arise.
This feature is part of our series displaying the phenomenal people who work behind the scenes at MoGo!
Lisa on a Boost!
How long have you been working at MoGo, and what do you do?
5+ years! I’m the Founder & Executive Director of MoGo, and I lead a small but mighty team of people who are committed to getting people where they need to go in Detroit and southern Oakland County.
What is your favorite thing about MoGo?
I love seeing other people on a MoGo! More than three years after launching, it still puts a huge smile on my face to see people using bike share to get around their community.
What do you want people to know about MoGo, and what makes MoGo unique?
MoGo is for everyone! Whether you’re an avid cyclist who doesn’t want to bring your bike on a one-way trip, or you haven’t ridden a bike in years, MoGo serves a wide range of people and needs.
What do you think MoGo’s greatest accomplishment has been?
I am incredibly proud of the work our team has done to make MoGo affordable and accessible for all. Currently, 27% of our members have a $5 annual Access pass, which we believe is the highest participation in an affordable pass option in the country.
How has MoGo changed your experience in Detroit or our other service areas?
Launching and running MoGo has made me really hopeful for what’s possible for regional transportation. If we can bring together government, business, and community support to make bike share work in the Motor City, we can do the same for other kinds of transportation.
Rapid fire:
MoGo Station at Russell and Wilkins.
Favorite station? Russell & Wilkins at Eastern Market — I love heading there on Saturdays to do my shopping for the week.
Iconic or Boost? That’s like asking which kid is my favorite! I love the extra kick I get while riding a Boost bike, but I really love the bright red/orange color of our classic bikes.
If you could put a station anywhere today, where would you put it? Hamtramck, especially as the Joe Louis Greenway gets built out.
Anything else you’d like to share?
My heartfelt gratitude to anyone who has ridden a MoGo over the last three and a half years — you are what makes MoGo great!
Read more about everything that Lisa mentioned, and more, at mogodetroit.org, and follow MoGo on social media!
Instagram – Facebook – Twitter – LinkedIn
Check out our newest Rider Perk partner, Cheers Detroit! Cheers is located downtown on Michigan Avenue, just a couple of blocks from Capitol Park, Campus Martius, and a whole lot more! Cheers Detroit has a variety of shakes that serve as meal replacements, and teas that pair really well with the shakes not just in taste, but in health too!
Every shake contains 24 grams of protein, 21 different vitamins and minerals, and are all under 300 calories. Usually, you’d have to eat almost 500 calories to get the same amount of protein and vitamins, but Cheers packs it all into a delicious shake! The teas are extremely tasty, and are filled with B vitamins and natural energy found in green tea. Overall, a great boost with great taste!
MoGo riders can show their MoGo card, key fob, Transit app, or receipt (from that day’s ride) to receive 20% off all combos and $1 off energy boosters!
Website | Facebook | Instagram
Cheers Detroit
Closest Station: Capitol Park or Fort and Griswold
150 Michigan Ave, Detroit, MI 48226
Since 1994, Motor City Brewing has been committed to producing hand-crafted superior quality beer. Located in the heart of Midtown and Detroit’s Cultural Center, Motor City Brewing Works has a full slate of beers, ciders, wines, and sodas!
MoGo riders can show their MoGo card, key fob, Transit app, or receipt (from that day’s ride) to receive 10% off!
Motor City Brewing Works
Closest Station: Second and Prentis
470 W Canfield St, Detroit, MI 48201
While many of our stations are good for starting or ending your ride, the Woodward Heights and Wolcott station in Ferndale is a great stopping point during your ride. Positioned right between a cluster of Royal Oak and Ferndale stations, and with guarded bike lanes along the entire street, this station is a great place to dock your bike and explore!
If you’re looking for good coffee and treats, try heading over to Drifter Coffee. Their menu changes every week, but they always try to have vegan and gluten-friendly options available.
If you happen to be in need of some facial hair grooming, you’ve stopped at the right station. Detroit Grooming Co. has all of the essentials for beard health and care, and their products are produced with an eye on both quality and the environment.
If you’ve visited both of those, Urbanrest Brewing Company is your next best bet. Stop in for some of their beer, kombucha, cider, mead, wine, or even a charcuterie board (including vegetarian options)!
When you hop back on your bike, every station in Ferndale is within a 10 minute ride, and you’ll be no more than 10 minutes away from Royal Oak.
So, what’re you waiting for? Hop on a MoGo and head to Woodward Heights and Wolcott! Grab a coffee, a drink, or some beard essentials, and enjoy an autumn ride!
Curious about the businesses mentioned above? Click on their names below to learn more!
Drifter Coffee – Detroit Grooming Co. – Urbanrest Brewing Company
Keep your eye on social media and our Rider Perks page to stay updated on businesses added as partners. You may find some of these up there soon!
We’re excited to announce our newest Rider Perk, Pillar and Pride! Pillar and Pride is on 7 Mile just east of Woodward, and kitty-corner from our station at 7 Mile and Woodward. Pillar and Pride has a catalog full of healthy, organic, and natural products, including snacks, drinks, oils, and other essentials. You’re in good hands with any of their products, as they all contribute to wellness, education, and empowerment. They also have apparel, which is where our Rider Perk applies. MoGo riders can show their MoGo card, key fob, Transit app, or receipt (from that day’s ride) to receive 10% off Pillar and Pride branded apparel!
Website | Facebook | Instagram
Pillar and Pride
Closest Station: 7 Mile and Woodward
1004 W Seven Mile Rd, Detroit, MI 48203
We’ve already highlighted our station along the 12 Mile stretch of Downtown Berkley. Now, we’ll tell you all about the station that we have along the Coolidge stretch of Downtown Berkley, which is located on the southeast corner of Earlmont and Coolidge.
You’d think that with two downtown corridors, one would heavily outmatch the other; that’s not the case in Berkley, because they’re both fantastic. Within a short walking distance of the Earlmont and Coolidge station, there are great food and retail options to visit.
Heading south on Coolidge, you’ll first come across Elwin & Co., which serves the best scones in Berkley. If you’re looking for a gourmet experience with real convenience, Elwin & Co. is the perfect place to visit.
Next, you’ll find Mr. J’s Sports Bar & Grill. In addition to their specials on food and drinks, they’re a great source for entertainment. Spend your time playing pool, darts, pinball, and more!
After Mr. J’s, you’ll reach Atomic Dawg and Sugar Kisses, which are across the street from each other. At Atomic Dawg, you’ll find a great assortment of burgers, ‘dawgs’, sides, and drinks, and at Sugar Kisses, you’ll find fantastic Gluten-free pastries made on-site, from scratch!
Just south of Sugar Kisses is June & December, which has gifts, paper products, and themed product lines that are incredibly unique. They even have a gift guide to help you figure out what you should give!
If you’re looking for a more relaxed day or a good book to read, try heading north on Coolidge instead. The Berkley Public Library is just up the street from the Earlmont and Coolidge station, and is another wonderful destination!
There are tons more, but we encourage you to take a ride along Coolidge and discover what Berkley has to offer for yourself. Before visiting any of these amazing places, be sure to check on their coronavirus-related safety precautions. Some stores may be operating at reduced hours, be available for pick-up only, or not be open at all.
Take a MoGo through Berkley today, and try something new! Happy riding!
Curious about the businesses mentioned above? Click on their names below to learn more!
Elwin & Co – Mr. J’s Sports Bar & Grill – Atomic Dawg – Sugar Kisses – June & December – Berkley Public Library
Keep your eye on social media and our Rider Perks page to stay updated on businesses added as partners. You may find some of these up there soon!
The station at 7 Mile and Woodward is one of three MoGo stations in and around Palmer Park. For a great ride that links all three of those stations, check out our MoGo North Parks Tour! The Beginner ride takes you along Woodward and then through Palmer Park, touching each station along the way.
In addition to the park, the 7 Mile and Woodward station is located right where the Palmer Park Farmers Market occurs every Wednesday from 4pm to 7:30pm. Next week is the market’s last week for this season!
If you cross Woodward, you’ll find Dutch Girl Donuts, which has some of the best donuts in town (Yes, they are open, with limited hours). Dutch Girl is a classic, and their donuts are delicious!
Pillar and Pride also stands on the other side of Woodward, on the north side of 7 Mile. Here, you’ll find great snacks, good looking swag, and much more!
If you circle the park and want to go further, the Avenue of Fashion (and about half-a-dozen stations) is less than 10 minutes away, and if you’re feeling ambitious, the next station up Woodward is at 9 Mile in Ferndale.
The 7 Mile and Woodward station is a great place to start a ride – wherever you go, ride MoGo!
Curious about the businesses mentioned above? Click on their names below to learn more!
Dutch Girl Donuts – Pillar and Pride – Palmer Park Farmers Market
Keep your eye on social media and our Rider Perks page to stay updated on businesses added as partners. You may find some of these up there soon!
