Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 22, 2017
CONTACT: media@nycha.nyc.gov

NYCHA AND CITI BIKE® ANNOUNCE PARTNERSHIP TO OPEN CITI BIKE OPERATIONS FACILITIES AT RIIS HOUSES

NEW YORK–– Riis Houses in Alphabet City will be home to a new Citi Bike operational facility starting later this year, officials from the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) and Motivate, the operators of the Citi Bike program, announced today. In 2015, NYCHA launched NextGeneration NYCHA (NextGen), a ten year strategic plan, to provide all residents with safe, clean and connected communities, and this partnership is an example of how the Authority is undertaking strategic moves to achieve this goal for its residents.

“NYCHA is not only connecting residents to more affordable, environmentally friendly transit options but also to new employment opportunities through our expanded partnership with Motivate,” said NYCHA Executive Vice President for Community Engagement and Partnerships Sideya Sherman. “This new office at Riis Houses perfectly exemplifies our NextGen NYCHA goal to develop best-in-class resident services, engage our residents and connect them to quality workforce opportunities.”

“We are excited to expand our ongoing partnership with NYCHA this Fall. New operations facilities in the Riis Houses will mean new, good jobs for NYCHA residents and a smoother Citi Bike for Manhattan residents and visitors,” said Jay Walder, President and CEO of Motivate, the company that operates Citi Bike. “We hope this increased visibility will encourage NYCHA residents to take advantage of the Citi Bike discount and give the blue bikes a try.”

“DOT has enjoyed partnering with Motivate and NYCHA to bring affordable and sustainable transportation options to residents,” said NYC DOT Manhattan Borough Commissioner Luis Sanchez. “So far this year, NYCHA Citi Bike membership has increased by 75% from July of 2016, and with this new operation facility at Riis Houses, we will continue to encourage participation in the discount membership program.”

The 3,200 square-foot facility at Riis Houses will be outfitted with bicycle repair and storage space, as well as an office for management and field staff.Motivate also operates a seven-day per week maintenance facility in Gowanus, Brooklyn.

Motivate actively works with the Authority to recruit residents for positions to help operate and market the Citi Bike program. Already this summer, Motivate has hired six NYCHA residents as “Community Champions” to promote the benefits of this affordable and healthy transportation option to their peers.

The Citi Bike Community Champions program is part of the existing relationship between NYCHA and Motivate. The program recruits and empowers NYCHA residents to encourage their neighbors to give the blue bikes a try, and spread the word about the $5 per month membership Motivate offers exclusively for NYCHA residents.

“As a Citi Bike Champion for the Gowanus facility and Mayor of the Washington Park and Willoughby Citi Bike docking station, I have seen the interest in Citi Bike grow every month while building equity with Bed-Stuy Restoration and Better Bikeshare Partnership NYC,” said Citi Bike Community Champion Shaquana Boykin, a  resident at Walt Whitman Houses. “The discount from Motivate and the support from NYCHA have made Citi Bike a truly reliable and affordable, money-saving option for NYCHA residents throughout the City.”

“Restoration has been pleased to work with Citi Bike, NYCHA, and Better Bike Share Partners such as the NYC Department of Transportation and the NYC Department of Health, to increase enrollment and ridership among NYCHA residents. From targeted marketing and events, to using NYCHA residents as ambassadors for their peers, we are striving to connect those most vulnerable to this invaluable health, mobility, and economic tool,” said Tracey Capers, Bed-Stuy Restoration Plaza’s Executive Vice President for Programs. “Bike ambassadors like Shaquana continue to lead by example, demonstrating bike share’s benefit for all. Thanks to these efforts, Citi Bike membership in Bed-Stuy has increased dramatically.”

NYCHA enrollment in Citi Bike has nearly doubled in the last year alone. There are currently 1,500 NYCHA residents who are active members of Citi Bike.

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About the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA)
NYCHA’s mission is to increase opportunities for low- and moderate-income New Yorkers by providing safe, affordable housing and facilitating access to social and community services. More than 400,000 New Yorkers reside in NYCHA’s 326 public housing developments around the five boroughs, and another 235,000 receive subsidized rental assistance in private homes through the NYCHA-administered Section 8 Leased Housing Program. For more information, visit www.nyc.gov/nycha and for regular updates on NYCHA news and services, connect with us via www.facebook.com/NYCHA and www.twitter.com/NYCHA.

About Citi Bike
The Citi Bike program is New York’s bike share system. It has 10,000 bikes at over 600 stations, and will have 12,000 bikes by the end of this year. Stations are currently located every few blocks in Manhattan as far north as 110th Street and in the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Downtown Brooklyn, DUMBO, Brooklyn Heights, Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Red Hook, Park Slope, Boerum Hill, Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, Gowanus and Williamsburg, and Greenpoint and in Long Island City, Queens. Annual members receive an electronic key to undock a bike from any station, allowing unlimited trips up to 45 minutes without incurring any additional costs. Twenty-four-hour passes are available for purchase at any Citi Bike station or through the Citi Bike app and provide unlimited 30-minute trips. Reduced cost memberships are available for NYCHA residents and members of select credit unions throughout the city, and for IDNYC holders in their first year of membership. Learn more at citibikenyc.com.