Expansion to Begin Early August

System to expand to Queens for first time, double in size over next two years. First station to be installed in Long Island City in early August, as part of a larger effort to bring the system to scale across New York City

New York, NY – Mayor Bill de Blasio, New York City Department of Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg and Motivate CEO Jay Walder today announced that Citi Bike expansion will begin in August with a first wave of new stations including the first Queens stations, in Long Island City, along with expansion further into Brooklyn with new stations in Williamsburg, Greenpoint and Bedford-Stuyvesant. The announcement is the first phase of a dramatic expansion plan that will double the size of the popular bike share network from 6,000 to 12,000 bikes over the course of two years as it grows across New York City.

“Citi Bike is already the largest and most popular bike share system in the country – now more New Yorkers than ever will be able to travel when and where they want with the flexibility and convenience of Citi Bike,” said Jay Walder, President and CEO of Motivate, which operates Citi Bike. “This is the next step in our commitment to deliver a bigger and better Citi Bike with updated technology, a new and improved bicycle and now hundreds of new stations. We are hard at work continuing to improve Citi Bike and ensure that it is accessible to more communities around the city.”



The expansion is supported by an increased sponsorship commitment from Citi of up to $70.5 million extended through 2024.

“We are thrilled to enable the expansion of Citi Bike and bring the blue bikes to new neighborhoods and new riders,” said Citi Head of Public Affairs Edward Skyler. “We have seen only the beginning of what Citi Bike can do to ease transportation, help New Yorkers live healthier lives and make our city more sustainable, and we are proud to help fulfill its far-reaching promise.”

The first wave of station installations will include 91 new stations in Bedford Stuyvesant, Williamsburg, Greenpoint and Long Island City, followed by an additional 48 stations on the Upper East and Upper West Sides, from 59th Street to 86th Street, starting in the fall. DOT and Motivate arrived at the station locations through more than a hundred meetings with the public and community stakeholders through the course of several years.

To prepare for expansion, Motivate replaced the software that powers Citi Bike, replaced software and hardware at all existing stations and docking points and has added 1,000 new and upgraded bikes to its fleet starting at the end of June, and will bring an additional 1,400 into circulation this summer to stock expansion stations. Developed in partnership with Olympic bike designer Ben Serotta, the bikes offer a series of new features and comforts including higher-quality parts and upgraded seats to prevent water from pooling when it rains. The end result is that each bike will spend more time on the street and less in the repair shop.

“I used to spend months building one perfect custom bike at a time, so it’s been thrilling to see tens of thousands of people embracing a bike custom made for everyone,” said Ben Serotta. “I’m excited for more and more New Yorkers to experience a new type of bike share bike that we created together with the mechanics at Motivate.”

As Motivate leadership looks towards a bigger and better Citi Bike, the company is also working hard to ensure that every New Yorker has access to a robust transportation network regardless of income or zip code. In Bedford Stuyvesant, the Citi Bike program and the Department of Transportation are partnering with local non-profit Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation to conduct community outreach, including bike safety classes and free helmet giveaways. Discounted Citi Bike memberships are also available to residents of affordable housing developments, and free access to community-based organizations for group rides.

Since Motivate took over operation of the Citi Bike program earlier this year with financial backing from the CEOs of Equinox, Related Companies and other private investors, the system has already seen major improvements in ease of use for riders. This has resulted in a 40 percent decrease in call volume (May and June 2014 vs. May and June 2015) to its Customer Service Call Center revealing growing customer satisfaction.

