Citi Bike is coming to Staten Island and the Bronx — for demonstrations.
The bike share’s operator, Motivate, is hosting “pop-up” events around the last two boroughs without the service as it continues negotiations with the city to expand citywide.
There will be test rides and staff on hand to answer questions and to give out free Citi Bike day passes at eight events in the Bronx and Staten Island between Aug. 6 and Sept. 22.
“We have heard Bronx and Staten Island residents loud and clear — they want Citi Bike in their neighborhoods,” said Jay Walder, president and CEO of Motivate, in a statement. “We look forward to introducing ourselves in these boroughs over the course of the next several weeks and bringing some of the fun of Citi Bike, while we also educate residents about how Citi Bike works and the benefits of bike share.”
Meanwhile, Citi Bike is seeing record ridership as it continues to move deeper into Brooklyn, Queens and upper Manhattan. By the end of 2017, the service will grow to 12,000 bikes, with new docks in neighborhoods like Astoria, Prospect Heights and Crown Heights and in Manhattan up to 130th Street.
A five-borough expansion would require fundamental changes, according to Citi Bike. For a five-borough system, the city would either have to subsidize the service or accept a proposal from Citi Bike to rework operational terms, according to officials.
In its expansion proposal, Motivate asked the city to grant Citi Bike the exclusive right to operate bike share service in New York City. The de Blasio administration would have to lift some regulations on the service, like meeting certain performance measurements and fees assessed for docks that block metered parking. The city would also have to loosen restrictions on pricing models and advertising at docks, the service said.
“We’re thinking hard about what’s the best model and how [to] work to get it to five boroughs,” said Polly Trottenberg, the Department of Transportation commissioner, at an unrelated news conference on Monday.
Here are the pop-up events:
Bronx
•Citi Bike demonstration and test rides at Boogie on the Boulevard, Grand Concourse from 162nd to 170th streets, Aug. 20 & Sept. 10, 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.
•Citi Bike ride with Bronxworks departing from Second Saturdays at St. Mary’s Park, Sept. 9, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
•Citi Bike demonstration and test rides at Bronx Summer Fest, Walton Avenue between 167th and 168th streets, Sept. 22, 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Staten Island
•Citi Bike demonstration and test rides at Fort Wadsworth, Aug. 6, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
•Citi Bike demonstration and test rides at the Snug Harbor Cultural Center immediately before the Sunset Summer Concert Series, Aug. 10, 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
•Citi Bike demonstration and test rides at Great Kills Park, Aug. 13, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
•Citi Bike ride with the Transportation Alternatives Staten Island Committee departing from St. George Ferry Terminal, Aug. 27, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
