CINCINNATI — Red Bike officially opened its Red Bike Market Center in Findlay Market Tuesday afternoon.

The hub is intended to provide a space for Red Bike members and users to visit if they need to speak with a person about bikeshare needs. The Market will be staffed by Red Bike Ambassadors six days a week inside the Findlay Market information desk.

"We are really excited to open up what we believe is the first bikeshare store in the nation," said Jason Barron, executive director of Red Bike, in a press release. "Our Red Bike Go program has been incredibly successful, and now with the Red Bike Market Center, we will be able to better connect with our Go members and encourage even more people to take up riding bikes for transportation, exercise, or just to have fun."

The Red Bike Market is an official partnership between Red Bike and Findlay Market. The Center can be used to renew or sign up for a Red Bike membership, or make cash payments for Go users.

During the opening event Tuesday afternoon, Red Bike also announced they would be creating the Red Bike Go Fund, a fund set up to support the Go program. Red Bike Go launched last April. It provides low-cost bike passes for people living with low-income status or receiving assistance for food, energy or medical bills, according to Red Bike Education and Outreach Manager, Elese Daniel. The program is a discounted $5.00 per month share membership that includes unlimited two-hour rides for 30 days for individuals struggling with low income.

The Red Bike Go Fund also received a boost, in the form of a donation of $50,000 from Duke Energy to help keep the program riding strong.

"Duke Energy is proud to support the Red Bike Go Program, which increases access to a healthy and environmentally friendly form of transportation," said Amy Spiller, president of Duke Energy Ohio and Kentucky, in a press release. "We encourage other community partners to joing us in sponsoring the Red Bike Go Fund to ensure equitable access to bikeshare."

According to a press release from Red Bike, members of Red Bike Go took nearly 30,000 bike rides in Cincinnati in 2019, accounting for 28% of all Red Bike usage during the year.