Cola Town Bike Collective

The Cola Town Bike Collective is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, charitable organization of bicycle users whose mission is to educate and empower the community by providing a welcoming space to learn about bicycle repair, engage in maintenance practices, and promote safe operation through outreach and advocacy activities.

The Cola Town Bike Collective has a Reliable Transportation Initiative where we work with charitable organizations, non-profits and other charitable groups to reach out into the community and provide cheap, and in many cases free, reliable transportation (bicycles) to our clients. We work with all groups of people from students, unemployed, underemployed, transitioning, veterans, refugees and immigrants.

In order to facilitate the addition of new cycling infrastructure we have developed a web-based application, Sprocket, which allows riders to choose from a variety of safe curated routes around the Midlands. This tool will help riders find safe bike routes to and from major business and residential areas of Columbia. We also have a program to build a bicycle repair network across the midlands region. The Bicycle Repair Network is now over 4 years old, and we continue to service the repair stations to ensure folks who need to fix their bikes have the tools available to them.

Testimonials

In 2022, CTBC had a wildly successful year with their reliable transportation initiative. We were able to put together and donate over 250 bicycles valued at $50,000 through more than 20 different NPOs that are serving folks who need transportation to get to and from work. We also have continued to maintain and service those bicycles, providing over $10,000 in free service to our clients. This initiative continues to serve people who may not have access to other reliable transportation between their housing and their jobs and other critical appointments, errands, and services.

CTBC has also grown as a community hub, hosting numerous community events including art and music shows as well as community cycling events, including a successful monthly women's ride and a weekly club-ride that both bolster numbers of greater than 30 members.