Announcement Of Bike Share Sponsors Makes New Transit Choice A Reality

Today, in a final step toward making public bike share a reality in New York City, Citibank and MasterCard were named the official sponsors of the NYC Bike Share program. Public bike share will launch this summer and is slated to be the largest program of its kind in the Western Hemisphere.

"Today's sponsor announcement marks a major step toward fulfilling the immense latent demand in New York City for bicycling," said Paul Steely White, Executive Director of Transportation Alternatives. "Soon, New Yorkers will have a new transportation choice to add to our diverse menu of options for getting around town. It's no surprise that New Yorkers overwhelmingly support public bike share. As soon as it hits the streets this summer, NYC Bike Share will empower us all with new freedom and convenience in our daily transportation routines."

An October 2011 Quinnipiac University poll found that 72 percent of New Yorkers support New York City's public bike share program.

Bike share will quickly play an integral role in New York City's transportation infrastructure. New Yorkers are accustomed to making short trips on a daily basis: 54 percent of all trips are less than three miles and more than 20 percent are less than a mile. With 10,000 bicycles distributed in 600 stations, Citi Bikes will be the nation's largest public bicycle sharing system. If compared to usage in similar systems around the word, public bike share in New York should create millions of new, neighborhood-friendly bicycle trips every year.

# # #