Bicycle Sharing in NYC

Bike share is coming to New York City thanks to the support of New Yorkers like you! When you officially declare yourself a New Yorker for Bicycling, Transportation Alternatives (T.A.) will keep you up to date on the all the latest developments on New York City Bike Share and the ways you can get involved. Sign up today to be in the know!

Imagine: you step up to an automated kiosk, swipe a debit or credit card and a bike pops out, ready to use. That’s public bike share: an affordable and convenient new option on New York City’s menu of transportation choices.

Beginning in the summer of 2012, New York will roll out 10,000 public use bikes at 600 automated docking stations around Manhattan and Brooklyn - and that’s just phase 1 of this ambitious program. Alta Bicycle Share, the country’s leading bike share vendor, will run the program in New York which will soon be the biggest bike share system in North America. Bike share bikes can be picked up and returned at any station, making it a quick and simple transit choice. By offering the option to become members for a day, week, month or year residents, commuters and tourists will be able to use the bikes with ease in a way that makes the most sense individually. An annual membership with the program will cost less than a monthly Metrocard, and members will have unlimited access to bikes for trips under 45 minutes.

Bike share bikes are sturdy, safe and best used for short trips – connecting your commute, running errands or getting across town. Bikes are equipped with state-of-the-art locking devices and safety features, such as always-on lights, bells and GPS tracking systems. Mobile apps will give real-time information to users about station locations and availability.

Bike share will also make New York a safer place to ride a bike. With the advent of 700 miles of bike lanes, bicycle ridership has doubled over the past five years and crashes involving bicyclists have fallen by 75%. This is because of the safety in numbers effect, whereby the more bicyclists there are on the street, the safer the streets become for bike riders. Data from other cities show that people riding Bike Share bikes are involved in fewer crashes than those riding their own bikes.

For more information on NYC’s new Bike Share system, check out our full list of Frequently Asked Questions.

You can keep up-to-date on the process, speak up for bike share and learn about meetings you can attend in your district by signing our New Yorkers for Bicycling Declaration.

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