Bike Drive To Repurpose Bicycles To Be Held In Rockville

ROCKVILLE, MD — The county's annual Bicycle Donation Drive will be held from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 3, in Rockville to make it easy for residents to donate previously owned bikes and have them placed with kids and adults in need.

Bikes will be collected, rain or shine, outside the Montgomery County Council Office Building Garage at the corner of East Jefferson and Monroe Street in Rockville.

Bicycles should be in good working condition or in need of only minor repairs. Rockville Bike Hub volunteers will refurbish the bikes and the Montgomery County Department of Transportation will place them with residents through the MCDOT Bike Match Program or through the Rockville Terrific Kids program.

A portion of the bikes are also collected by Bikes for the World and donated to communities around the world. Bikes that are not salvageable are recycled.

“The Bike Match program has provided bikes to more than 870 Montgomery County residents since the program began in June 2020,” said MCDOT Director Chris Conklin in a news release. “However, the need is still great. We currently have more than 400 people on our waiting list who are hoping to receive a bike. We are hoping to be able to collect enough bikes to fulfill these requests.”

Monetary donations to help the bike donation project are also accepted. Checks can be made out to the Rockville Bike Hub and left with staff at the donation site. Donations are tax-deductible and receipts will be available.

Community members can organize a bike collection at their school, place of worship or within their neighborhood and bring the bikes to Rockville on Friday, Oct. 3.

“Donating your unused bike is a simple way to make a real difference in the life of someone in need,” said Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich in a news release. “These bikes are provided to community members needing reliable transportation for work, school, and essential errands. … The Bike Match program is an important part of our plan to ensure all Montgomery County residents have safe and reliable transportation options.”