via Citi Bike on Twitter
Nov. 29, 2018 By Nathaly Pesantez
Citi Bike is set to undergo a massive expansion, doubling its current service area and more than tripling the number of bikes in its fleet over the next five years, the city announced today.
Lyft, the parent company of Citi Bike, will invest $100 million toward the expansion as part of an agreement reached with the city over its acquisition of Motivate, Citi Bike’s former operator.
Details on where Citi Bike will expand to are unclear, but the announcement could mean that the bike share company will head to Queens neighborhoods east of Astoria and Long Island City—currently the only two neighborhoods in the borough with the service.
“This expansion means tens of thousands more New Yorkers are going to have a fast and inexpensive way to get around their city,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio in a statement. “It also means much more reliable service for all the riders who already use Citi Bike.”
Citi Bike’s current service area. (via Citi Bike)
The bike share company will expand by 35 square miles over five years, and will operate a fleet of nearly 40,000 bicycles by the end of the expansion.
Citi Bike’s new geographic boundaries, however, will be set in the coming months, the city said, noting that community and elected official outreach in the selected expansion areas will follow.
The expanded fleet will also include regular and pedal-assist bicycles, a relatively new type of bike with a built in motor that provides a boost to riders, making it easier to climb hills and travel long distances.
Lyft will also continue and expand discounted Citi Bike memberships for NYCHA residents and SNAP recipients.
Citi Bike currently has 12,000 bikes and more than 750 stations in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens since it kicked off operations in 2013.
The bike share company added more service in Long Island City and Astoria last year after first launching in the Queens neighborhoods in 2015.
The Citi Bike expansion announcement comes as the city has been testing out dockless bikes in areas without a bike share service, like the Rockaways and the south Bronx.
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7 Comments
FoHi?! You must be a realtor.
Actually a shareholder and full-time resident, but nice try. The only constant in life is change so better embrace it or move on!
Woohoo. I’ve been wanting to bike out further east in Queens but haven’t been able to. CitiBikes are great, I know they get lots of hate from old timers in the area who hate protected bike lanes but they make it so much easier to travel when the subways inevitably let us down.
Being Citi bikes to Forest Hills! This article is clickbate otherwise because there is no mention of FoHi. It would be a great help to residents to get around the borough without the need for a car, bus or subway. I would definitely use Citi bikes if they were available in FoHi, Rego Park, Kew Gardens etc.
Citi bike stands make every neighborhood ugly and streets are crowded enough. I’m tired of having bicyclists go through red lights zig zagging all over the streets while I’m crossing with the light. Same with other bicyclists. I miss the way the city was when people either walked, drove or took transportation. Bike Lanes on Queens Blvd are nothing but a hazard and a waste. These people don’t pay for insurance, insurance or registration. They’re using the roads for free.
This is nuts!! Not good. Citi and the Mayor are promoting NYC as a bike friendly city and it’s not. Very misleading for tourists or bikers who are not experienced. Keep in parks only! I recently saw a biker with a toddler strapped in back peddling on 2nd ave between traffic right at the on/off ramp of Queensboro Bridge and a woman riding down the middle of 6th ave and 55th on her way to work. Adding more bike rentals is a money maker for both Citi and Mayor. That’s all. Very concerned for safety issues for renters. De Blasio is an idiot.
Please correct my vote re: This is not Amsterdam… I meant to check thumbs up. Our Mayor is out of his mind! Forest Hills still has many seniors living here – enough to be concerned about and they are not about to use bicycles or motorized ones at this point. What are seniors supposed to do when doing food shopping ~ use a basket on their bikes? Are they supposed to use motorized ones in order to go to doctor visits? I think not!