MAYOR BHALLA ANNOUNCES NEW CONTRACT WITH LYFT TO BRING CITI BIKE TO HOBOKEN
MAYOR BHALLA ANNOUNCES NEW CONTRACT WITH LYFT TO BRING CITI BIKE TO HOBOKEN
Mayor Ravi S. Bhalla today announced that the City of Hoboken has entered into a contract with Lyft to officially bring the Citi Bike bike share program to Hoboken. By May 3, Lyft will begin phasing in approximately 200 bikes and 15 stations within Hoboken. By this summer, Lyft will add another 100 bikes and another 14 stations for a total of 300 bikes and 29 stations. The new bike share program will be fully interoperable with Citi Bike programs in Jersey City and New York City, giving members from Hoboken seamless access to the nation’s largest bike share system with more than 16,000 bikes and 1,000 stations at no additional cost. Hoboken’s agreement with Lyft was approved at Wednesday night’s City Council meeting by and 8-1 vote.
“I’m thrilled that Citi Bike is now officially coming to Hoboken,” said Mayor Bhalla. “The new bike share system will substantially enhance the ability for residents to travel to transportation hubs, patronize our local businesses, visit family and friends, and get to work. And now, residents can seamlessly utilize Citi Bike in neighboring Jersey City and New York City at no additional cost, providing additional connectivity and convenience for users. Residents have been consistent in their feedback that they wanted Citi Bike to come to Hoboken, and I’m glad we were able to deliver in bringing this program to our Mile Square.”
“We’ve worked hard over the last year to ensure that Hoboken has one of the best bike share programs in the country,” said Ryan Sharp, Hoboken’s Director of Transportation and Parking. “Having an interoperable program with Jersey City and New York will be a gamechanger for improving regional mobility and connectivity for Hoboken residents, visitors, and commuters.”
“This is a big step toward continuing to grow Citi Bike’s role as a truly regional bike share program that meets the first- and last-mile commute needs of New Jersey residents, who often have bikeshare transportation needs on both sides of the Hudson,” said Laura Fox, General Manager for Citi Bike at Lyft. “With the addition of pedal-assist ebikes and transit planning in both the Lyft and Citi Bike apps, Citi Bike riders in New Jersey will have more ways to get around that are fast, affordable, and convenient.”
“We are excited to enable Citi Bike’s growth in New Jersey,” said Citi Head of Public Affairs Edward Skyler. “We’re very proud of this public-private partnership, which has created a sustainable and healthy way to get around. People want different transportation options and we want to be part of the solution.”
“We’re excited to welcome Citi Bike to Hoboken,” said Chris Adair, President of Bike Hoboken. “Having the same bikeshare as Jersey City and New York City will improve the experience for all bikeshare users. We applaud the Hoboken and Jersey City councils for recognizing that bikeshare is valuable enough to subsidize and hope both cities will work together to prioritize a protected bike lane that will safely connect our communities.”
Mayor Steve Fulop and the Jersey City Council recently entered into a five-year agreement with Lyft to extend and expand Citi Bike in Jersey City. According to the terms of the contract approved last month, Jersey City will have a total of 53 stations and 650 bikes, for a total of 950 throughout the entire Hoboken-Jersey City system.
The partnership with Jersey City will enhance connectivity with Hoboken and improve access to regional destinations in each city, including centers of employment, transit stations, retail and food venues, educational institutions, arts centers, parks, and other regional destinations in each city. The Hoboken-Jersey City bike share system furthers the Vision Zero goals of both cities to eliminate transportation deaths and serious injuries.
Forty percent of the entire system will eventually become pedal assist e-bikes, providing additional options for residents to get around Hoboken and Jersey City. The pedal-assist e-bikes will be slowly phased in over the course of four months, and will begin with 40 in the Hoboken system by May 3. Last year, through the New York City Citi Bike system, 3,500 pedal-assist e-bikes in New York have logged over 3.5 million trips over the last year. The e-bikes require a pedal from the user to receive an extra boost from the bike, and do not have a throttle.
Hoboken residents will have the option to purchase a $179 yearly membership which will include unlimited 45-minute rides on either a classic Citi Bike or e-bike, for an additional $0.10 per minute. Hoboken’s contract with Lyft includes substantially discounted Citi Bike memberships for SNAP recipients and residents of the Hoboken Housing Authority, of $5 per month. Veterans can also receive a discounted membership of $35 per year. For those without a membership, a single ride on a classic pedal bike will cost $3.50 for up for 30 minutes, and an additional $0.15 per minute to upgrade to a pedal-assist e-bike.
Lyft will work closely with the City of Hoboken to install stations at locations previously utilized by Jersey Bike, Hoboken’s previous bike share system.
Through Hoboken’s Complete Streets Program, Hoboken has built a substantial network of on-street bicycle lanes across 40% of the city’s streets. Hoboken and Jersey City have a combined 75 miles of protected bike lanes, conventional bike lanes, and shared lanes.
Last month, Mayor Bhalla announced that Hoboken had received a $325,000 grant from the New Jersey Department of Transportation to construct Protected Bike Lanes on Sinatra Drive between 4th and 11th Streets, connecting the South Waterfront Bikeway to the two-way bikeway on Sinatra Drive North. Collectively, Hoboken’s and Jersey City’s extensive bicycle infrastructure will help provide safe, dedicated spaces for Citi Bike users to ride in the street.
Citibank has served as the title sponsor of the Jersey City program since its launch in 2015 and will remain as the title sponsor of the unified program across Jersey City and Hoboken.
Citi Bike pricing:
Single ride pricing: for non-members, Lyft’s pricing for a single ride costs $3 for up to $30 minutes on a classic pedal bike. When a user upgrades to an e-bike, it will be an additional $0.15 per minute. If a user rides a bike for longer than 30 minutes at a time, regardless of the type (of bike), it will cost them an additional $0.15/min.
Annual membership: For $179 per year, annual members can take as many 45-minute rides as they like on a classic bike or upgrade to an e-bike for an additional $0.10/min. For trips longer than 45 minutes, it costs members an additional $0.15 per minute, regardless of the type of bike.
Reduced fare memberships: Lyft will offer a deeply discounted Citi Bike reduced fare membership for SNAP recipients and housing authority residents of $5/month. For reduced fare uses, the first 45 minutes of each ride is free when riding a Citi Bike classic pedal bike. If a reduced fare user chooses to take an e-bike, it will cost an extra $0.05/min. If a user keeps a bike out for longer than 45 minutes at a time, it will cost $0.15/min. for the remainder of their journey, regardless of bike type.
Veterans and military memberships: Citi Bike also offers a Veterans and Military Discount, with $35 off annual membership costs to all active, reservist, veteran, and retired US military personnel.
