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Mayor de Blasio, NYC DOT, Motivate and Citi Announce that Citi Bike's Latest Expansion Has Begun on Upper East Side and Upper West Side

August 2, 2016

New docking stations to be installed in Manhattan to 110th Street starting today; additional stations to follow in both Manhattan and Brooklyn,

Station density improvements also coming to 2015 expansion area

NEW YORK––Mayor Bill de Blasio and Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg, along with Motivate, the operator of Citi Bike, and program sponsor Citi today announced the start of the next phase of the Citi Bike program’s expansion – moving north of 85th Street for the first time. As of today, new stations have opened at East 88th Street/Park Avenue, East 88th Street/5th Avenue, West 87th Street/Amsterdam Avenue and West 87th Street/West End Avenue in Manhattan.

“Bringing Citi Bike to all of the Upper East Side and Upper West Side is a great and necessary next step, but it captures how much work we still have yet to do,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “Citi Bike is a new transit option with the capacity to empower communities and fight inequality, so we are committed to bringing these docking stations further uptown to an even wider and more diverse audience – which I am proud to say is what we will be doing in the months ahead.”

“Nothing symbolizes the vitality of the nation’s largest bike-share network better than new docks in new neighborhoods,” said DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg. “As the program gets even further uptown in Manhattan, Citi Bike will be perfectly complementing the newest additions to DOT's growing 1,000-mile network of protected bike lanes – including on Amsterdam Avenue and on 2nd Avenue. With a new transportation option that is fast, easy and affordable, neighborhoods can look forward to celebrating even more new stations.”

Launched in the spring of 2013, Citi Bike faced significant challenges after its first anniversary that put future expansion in jeopardy. In 2014, the de Blasio administration successfully secured new management and a new infusion of private capital to stabilize the system, improve service, and commence a massive new expansion. In the next few weeks, 28 stations will be added to the Upper East Side and Upper West Side, growing the system from its current northern border at 85th Street to 110th Street. An additional 16 “infill” stations will also be added in existing Citi Bike zones in these neighborhoods to improve station density and provide users with easier access to stations and more robust and reliable service.

This round of expansion will add a total of 140 docking stations to the city’s streets, with additional expansion in Brooklyn. By the end of 2016, Citi Bike will comprise more than 600 docking stations and 10,000 bikes – up from 6,000 bikes in its initial launch in 2013. By 2017, the system will fully double in size to 12,000 bikes.

“We are thrilled to be able to continue bringing Citi Bike to scale across New York City,” said Jay Walder, President & CEO of Motivate, the operators of Citi Bike. “Bike share is a great resource for the city’s residents and visitors alike – making commutes flexible, fun, and fast. Our hope is that as more blue bikes arrive on city streets, that everyone will give it a try.”

"With Citi Bike membership and ridership at record highs, we are excited that the program is expanding," said Citi Head of Public Affairs Edward Skyler. "Citi Bike has quickly become an indispensable way to commute or explore our great city. We thank our partners and riders for making Citi Bike the largest, most successful bike share program in the country."

“When we first invested in New York's bike share program in 2012, our capital allowed a small business with big dreams to launch the largest privately funded bike share program in the world. We doubled down on Citi Bike in 2014 with additional financing to facilitate expansion of the system and are delighted to see the program continue to grow,” said Margaret Anadu, Managing Director who leads the Urban Investment Group at Goldman Sachs. “The program has created quality jobs, promoted economic development, and changed the way many New Yorkers and visitors experience this amazing city.”

The program currently has more than 100,000 annual members. This summer, Citi Bike has seen record daily ridership. With more than 10 million discrete rides in 2015, Citi Bike is expected to exceed that ridership record in 2016.

To celebrate the expansion, Citi Bike is offering $25 off of Annual Memberships for a limited time. To sign up for the reduced-price memberships, please visit www.citibikenyc.com/expansion.

As part of its expansion plan, Citi Bike has also improved its mobile app to enable all riders –whether annual members or casual pass holders, residents or visitors—to have access to information to improve their ride in real time. Casual riders who purchase a pass at the Citi Bike kiosk can opt into SMS contact from the company for the duration of their ride, which will alert them to the rules of the road and time limits to help prevent overage fees. Day passes are now also available for sale within the Citi Bike app and those who choose to access the system in this way are now able to unlock a bike straight from their phone.

“CitiBike has become a crucial new addition to the transportation network for many New Yorkers, and we must continue to improve access to it,” said Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer. “I’m pleased to see Citibike expand further north, and I look forward to working with the Dept. of Transportation, CitiBike, and local Community Boards to expand and improve the network in more neighborhoods.”

“I am delighted that the CitiBike program is expanding to new communities. With more bikes in more places, the bike sharing program becomes increasingly useful and accessible. I want to congratulate the de Blasio administration for its dedication to bringing bikes to a growing number of neighborhoods,” said Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney.

"The expansion of Citi bike to the Upper East Side and East Harlem will bring a new transportation option to our residents. Bike sharing is a healthy, economical, environmentally friendly alternative that can reduce congestion on our roads and subways,” said Assembly Member Robert Rodriguez.

Assembly Member Daniel O'Donnell said, "New Yorkers and tourists alike will benefit from the expansion of Citi Bike through the Upper West Side, where new protected bike lines will give riders the opportunity to explore the grandeur of our neighborhood's vibrant businesses and remarkable architecture. As a new transit option expanding to ever-more diverse communities, I welcome Citi Bike to the neighborhood and will be pleased to see how new expansion projects connect our diverse, bustling communities."

"Over the past three years, I have been thrilled to see Citi Bike welcomed as an alternative mode of transportation by many New Yorkers. This new expansion of Citi Bike will bring it to neighborhoods that are hungry for bike share," said Council Member Mark Levine. "The initial rollout of the program left low-income neighborhoods underrepresented, and I'm extremely pleased that under new management and with the leadership of this administration we are taking steps to rectify that. Expanding to 110th street is a great additional step in scaling Citi Bike all across our city" 

“With subway crowding at record levels, we must continue to explore a variety of transportation options for our city. The expansion of Citi Bike to 110th Street is a smart and welcome investment. All New Yorkers deserve speedy and safe options to get around, and I look forward to supporting Citi Bike as it grows even further,” said Council Member Dan Garodnick.

"CitiBike has already established itself as one of the fastest, healthiest and least expensive ways to get around New York City with tens of thousands of rides per day," said Council Member Ben Kallos, a founding member of CitiBike. "Thank you to all the residents who have participated online and in meeting over the past few years to ensure that the placement of CitiBike stations are a benefit to the community. Thank you to Mayor de Blasio and Transportation Commissioner Trottenberg for working with residents to bring CitiBike to neighborhoods throughout New York City."

"Citibike is now as much a part of New York as our parks and bridges. We are proud to celebrate with Mayor de Blasio the expansion if this vital, city-controlled transit service," said Paul Steely White, Executive Director of Transportation Alternatives.

About Citi Bike
Citi Bike is New York’s bike share system with 8000 bikes at 470 stations in Manhattan below 86th Street and in the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Downtown Brooklyn, DUMBO, Brooklyn Heights, Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Bedford Stuyvesant, Williamsburg and Greenpoint and in Long Island City, Queens, with stations located every few blocks – and the program is continuing to expand. Citi Bike is available for use 24 hours/day, 7 days/week, 365 days/year, and riders have access to thousands of bikes at hundreds of stations across Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens.

For more information: www.citibikenyc.com/expansion



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