BIKE TO VOTE: Motivate Announces Free Rides on Election Day in Nine Bike Share Systems Across the Country

Free rides are available on November 6 in the Bay Area, Boston-metro, Chicago, Columbus, Jersey City, New York City, Portland, Minneapolis, and Washington D.C.-metro areas through local bike share apps

For the first time ever, America’s largest bike share operator provides free rides on Election Day; aims to increase civic participation and reduce barriers to voting

NEW YORK (October 29, 2018) – Rides in nine urban bike share systems across the country will be free on Election Day, North America’s leading bike share operator Motivate announced today. With a lack of transportation options shown to be a major barrier to voting, Motivate’s new effort aims to provide Americans in some of the country’s largest cities with a no-cost, quick and convenient way to get to the polls on November 6th.

“We want to make it easier than ever to pedal to the polls this Election Day,” said Julie Wood, Motivate spokesperson. “Too many Americans don’t vote because they lack reliable and affordable transportation options. As voters make their plans for November 6, we encourage the millions living in cities served by our bike share networks to take advantage of free rides and use bike share to get to and from the polls.”

Riders across almost every Motivate system can use code BIKETOVOTE in their local bike share app to access a free day pass; In Chicago, Divvy riders must use the code VOTE18 to access the free day pass. In Portland, OR, which has a vote-by-mail system, BIKETOWN riders can use the code BIKE2VOTE to access 30 minutes of free ride time on November 6th.

Motivate is the largest bike share operator in North America. Last year, 80% of all bike share trips in America were completed on a Motivate system. The bike share networks that Motivate operates are: Citi Bike (New York & Jersey City); Divvy (Chicago); Bluebikes (Boston-metro); Capital Bikeshare (Washington D.C.-metro); Nice Ride Minnesota (Minneapolis); Ford GoBike (Bay Area); BIKETOWN (Portland, OR); and CoGo (Columbus, OH).

According to one study by The Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, twenty-nine percent of young Americans surveyed said that transportation was a reason that they did not vote in the 2016 presidential election. Fifteen percent of surveyed youth said that lack of transportation to their polling place was a “major factor” for not voting. This number is even higher for youth of color, of whom thirty-eight percent said that lack of transportation played a role for not voting.

Motivate’s promo codes and free rides are offered in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations, subject to Motivate and each individual system’s terms and conditions, and are not intended to induce, nor are conditioned on, the act of voting or voting for or against any particular candidate or measure.

About Motivate:

Motivate is the largest bike share operator in North America, with systems in the densest urban centers including New York (Citi Bike), Chicago (Divvy), Boston-metro (Bluebikes), Washington D.C (Capital Bikeshare), and the Bay Area (Ford GoBike). Motivate works alongside cities to provide efficient, equitable and safe systems using a full range of bike share solutions and best-in-class operations. As a vertically integrated company, Motivate is leading the design and deployment of the next generation of bike share technology. The company is led by a group of urban visionaries, creative leaders and technology innovators, revolutionizing the landscape and sustainability of cities and urban transit.