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Boise Bike Project offering bikes at discounted cost to kids this summer

Posted at 5:45 PM, May 25, 2023
and last updated 2023-05-25 19:45:57-04

BOISE, Idaho — The Boise Bicycle Project (BBP) started a new initiative this weekend to help Treasure Valley kids get bikes.

BBP introduced a sliding scale for their refurbished children's bikes. Families, when their kid is present, can choose to pay a price that is "meaningful to them." The price scale ranges from $10-$75 and it includes a bike, helmet, lights, and a lock, all things to keep the children safe when they're biking.

As summer approaches, BBP hopes to provide bikes, which they feel are symbols of personal freedom for kids.

“For a lot of the kids that we’re specifically trying to work with, a bike can mean access to a school which means access to a meal and safety," said Devin McComas, the Program Director for BBP. "A bike can mean access to services like being on a sports team or going to the Boys and Girls Club. So for us, a bike really means freedom and agency but it also means connection to our community.”

BBP receives the donated bikes, refurbishes them, and gives them out to the families. One of their partnerships is with Safe Routes to School. It's an organization dedicated to introducing bikes and road safety to kids in Idaho.

They go around to different schools, and at one of their schools this year, they handed out vouchers to some children for a free bike at the bike sale.

The director of Safe Routes to School, Lisa Brady, says it is important for kids to have a bike.

“Showing them... you’re not unable to do that and it takes you places for adventure or just exposure to nature which we know is great for kids," Brady said.

For more information about the bike sale visit the BBP website.