Jersey City, NJ — Citi Bike Jersey City launched with a flourish On Monday, September 21st, 2015 with Mayor Steven M. Fulop joining Jay Walder, President & CEO of Motivate, funders and community supporters to cut the ribbon at the Citi Bike station in the Newark Avenue Pedestrian Plaza, bringing the 350-bike, 35-station system online.

Citi Bike Jersey City is fully supported by sponsorship and other revenues, making it the only bike share system in a mid-size city to operate without public funding.  Citi is the Title Sponsor for the new system.  Four additional organizations – the Horizon Foundation for New Jersey, SUEZ North America, CarePoint Health and Jersey City Medical Center–Barnabas Health have been named Founding Sponsors. An investment by Goldman Sachs will allow for the initial purchase of docking stations and bicycles.  Fully interoperable with New York Cityâ€s Citi Bike, the system allows those who commute or travel between the two cities to use their memberships in both independent systems.

“It’s not very often that a city gets a completely new public transit system, a new way to enjoy the outdoors and stay active, and a new link to New York all at once, but that’s what we have today with Citi Bike,” said Jersey City Mayor Steven M. Fulop. “This is something that will connect every corner of the city.  We have bike stations in every ward.”

“Thanks to Mayor Fulopâ€s visionary leadership and the support of terrific sponsors, the Citi Bike program is now a seamless regional transportation network improving commutes on both sides of the Hudson,” said Jay Walder, President & CEO of Motivate. “The launch of the Citi Bike program in Jersey City shows that bike share has become a critical component of healthy, sustainable and convenient urban living in cities of all sizes.”

The new system advances Mayor Fulopâ€s goal of making Jersey City ‘Americaâ€s best mid-size cityâ€â€”providing a new, environmentally friendly, healthy and affordable 24/7 transportation option for the cityâ€s residents and visitors, and making the city more welcoming to cyclists overall. Jersey City has already added 22 miles of bike lanes to the street grid over the past two years alone.

The systemâ€s funders rallied around bike share in Jersey City, praising the new opportunities for commuting and recreation that it will make possible in New Jersey and New York.

“Citi Bike has become an iconic mobile landmark in New York City, and we are thrilled to help roll Citi Bike out to Jersey City residents and visitors,” said Elyssa Gray, Director of Brand and Advertising of Citi Cards at Citi.  “The Citi Bike program has produced enormous benefits— be they transportation, health or sustainability-related— and we are proud to join Mayor Fulop and Motivate to bring them to Jersey City.”

“As a Founding sponsor, the Horizon Foundation encourages city residents to embrace the Jersey City Bike Share program and pedal their way to better health,” said Minalkumar Patel, M.D.,  Senior Vice President & Chief Strategy Officer for Horizon BCBSNJ.  A Hudson County resident who grew up in Jersey City, Dr. Patel added: “Cycling combines a fitness activity into a riderâ€s daily routine, offering the same cardiovascular benefits as other aerobic exercises, and supports a healthy lifestyle. ”

“Jersey City, under Mayor Fulopâ€s administration, has an established a reputation as a leader in “green” initiatives,” said Nadine Leslie, President of SUEZ Environmental Services. “SUEZ North America is excited to help this reputation by supporting Jersey City as a lead sponsor of the Citi Bike program in Jersey City.”

“We are proud to be a founding partner of Jersey City’s bike share program,” said CarePoint Health System CEO Dennis Kelly.  “Improving the health and quality of life of the population we serve is CarePoint Health’s core mission, and this program takes a huge step in that direction.”

“Having a Citi Bike station on the Jersey City Medical Center campus and one near my home in Jersey City will give me an healthy alternative means of transportation,” said Joe Scott, President & CEO of Jersey City Medical Center-Barnabas Health. “At Barnabas Health we believe life is better healthy and I will encourage others to do the same when making appointments or as a method of commuting.   Our Citi Bike rental station is near Liberty State Park and the Light Rail and we expect it to be one of the busiest locations.”

“We are excited to see a new Citi Bike launch in Jersey City, allowing residents to travel between the two cities easily in an environmentally friendly way,” said Margaret Anadu, Managing Director in the Goldman Sachs Urban Investment Group.  “This expansion will not only increase access to affordable green transportation but will also create quality jobs and sustainable economic development.”

Jersey City residents can sign up for memberships at www.citibikejc.com. Pricing across New York and New Jersey are the same, with an annual membership cost of $149, discounted by $25 until the end of this month. Members are entitled to unlimited use of the system for individual bike trips of up to 45 minutes. Members using the Citi Bike bikes for longer periods will be charged a graduated fee. There are also options for day and weekly memberships, for those visiting Jersey City or trying the system for the first time.

Corporate memberships are also available. Any Jersey City employer that signs up by October 1st will be designated a charter member, with the opportunity to extend a 50% or 100% subsidy to every employee. Interested employers – and employees – can contact marketing@citibikejc.com for more information.

Several great local restaurants and cultural destinations will offer discounts to Citi Bike key holders through September 30th. ‘Kitchen at Grove’ will offer free coffee or tea on weekdays between 7:00am-10:00am, while ‘Mordi’s Food Truck’ and ‘Who’s Gluten Free’ will both offer 10 percent discounts.  Many more Jersey City deals will come online through the month, to encourage residents to sign up for the service and invite New York members to explore all that Jersey City has to offer on Citi Bike. For a complete list of participating businesses, please visit the Citi Bike Jersey City Tumblr page. 

Subsidized memberships of $60 per year will also be available— as they are in New York— for residents who meet certain income qualifications.  The average family with an annual income of less than $50,000 spends roughly 30 percent of their budget on transportation, statistics show. A $60 bike share subscription, Mayor Fulop believes, will provide families with affordable transportation.

The Citi Bike program now joins other regional bike share networks operated by Motivate including Hubway, Capital Bike Share and Bay Area Bike Share in providing a transportation network that serves residents across municipal boundaries with one single, seamless membership. Citi Bike in the New York / New Jersey area is the largest bike share program in the United States and one of the largest in the world. Citi Bike riders have taken over 21 million trips on the program in New York since it launched in May 2013.

About Motivate

Motivate is a global leader in bike share. A full-service bike share operator and technology innovator, Motivate works to re-envision how people experience and move around cities.  Motivate currently manages all of the largest bike share systems in the United States and many of the largest systems in the world, including Bay Area Bike Share (California Bay Area), Citi Bike (New York), Divvy (Chicago), CoGo Bike Share (Columbus, Ohio), Capital Bike Share (Washington, D.C.; Arlington and Alexandria, Va.; and Montgomery County, Md.), Hubway (Boston, Somerville, Cambridge and Brookline, Mass.), Pronto (Seattle), Bike Chattanooga (Tenn.), Bike Share Toronto and Melbourne Bike Share in Australia. Motivateâ€s newest system is Citi Bike Jersey City, N.J., that will be compatible with New York Cityâ€s Citi Bike program.

The post Citi Bike® Program Launches in Jersey City first appeared on River View Observer.

Program will create new, affordable transportation option for Jersey City and be interoperable with New York Cityâ€s Citi Bike program

Jersey City — Mayor Steven M. Fulop and Jay Walder, President & CEO of Motivate, today announced sponsors for Jersey Cityâ€s new bike share program launching in September. Citi will be the Title Sponsor, and the bike share program will be named Citi Bike. Citi Bike Jersey City and Citi Bike New York will be interoperable programs, meaning membership to one will entitle riders to the same usage in sister market. Four additional organizations– the Horizon Foundation for New Jersey, SUEZ North America, CarePoint Health and Jersey City Medical Center–Barnabas Health have been named Founding Sponsors. The programâ€s website www.citibikejc.com launched today as well. As part of the sponsorship agreements the Title Partner will have their name integrated into the program and exclusive branding on all bikes.  The Founding Partners will have customized benefits that include recognition and advertising at designated stations, recognition on the website and in program materials, and community based events. The program will launch with 350 bikes at 35 stations, providing a new, environmentally friendly, healthy and affordable 24/7 transportation option for Jersey City. Jersey City has added 22 new miles of bike lanes over the past two years and bike share represents the next big step in creating a more bike-friendly city. “Jersey City is a diverse community with residents who largely use bikes, mass transit or walk to work and the city’s culture and vibrancy make it the perfect place for bike share,” said Mayor Fulop. “We know what a huge success our bike share program will be and want to thank Citi, the Horizon Foundation, SUEZ North America, CarePoint, and Jersey City Medical Center-Barnabas Health for joining the initiative as they recognize the benefits this will provide the community.” “We appreciate the dedication of Mayor Fulop, Citi, the Horizon Foundation, SUEZ North America, CarePoint, and Jersey City Medical Center-Barnabas Health to bringing a regionally integrated bike share program to Jersey City,” said Jay Walder, President and CEO of Motivate. “Citi Bike has already proven to be wildly popular in New York City with over 19 million trips in a little over two years. Weâ€re now expanding the reach, making bike share a seamless part of the region’s transportation network.” “When we took steps to help make the Citi Bike program a reality in New York, we had high hopes for it, but we never imagined it would have this kind of impact on peopleâ€s lives,” said Elyse Lesley, Managing Director, Citi U.S. Consumer and Commercial Banking and CitiMortgage. “Today, we are thrilled to join Mayor Fulop and Motivate to help introduce the program in Jersey City and bring there the wide-ranging benefits of this sustainable, healthy and convenient service.” “The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey is proud to be a Founding Sponsor and join Mayor Fulop in fulfilling his vision to bring New Jerseyâ€s first bike share program to Jersey City,” said Robert A. Marino, Chairman, Horizon Foundation for New Jersey and Chairman and CEO, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey. “Horizon cares about improving the health of the residents in the diverse communities we serve, so promoting physical activity through an innovative bike share program will encourage residents and visitors to get their fitness routine into gear.” “Teaming up with Mayor Fulop and the City of Jersey City to deliver a bike-share program was an easy decision for SUEZ North America,” said Bertrand Camus, CEO of SUEZ North America. “As an environmental company, we strive to support initiatives that will help people think “green” and encourage them to lead a healthier lifestyle for themselves and the planet.” “As a member of the Jersey City Community we are proud to be a founding sponsor of Citi Bike,” said CarePoint Health System CEO Dennis Kelly. “With a large number of our employees living and working here, we are excited to help improve the quality of life in the city we call home.” “Jersey City Medical Center is proud to be a sponsor of the Jersey City Bike Share program and to have a bike docking station on our campus.  Bike riding will help reduce traffic congestion and car emissions and, at the same time, provide a healthy transportation alternative,” said Joseph F. Scott FACHE President and CEO – Jersey City Medical Center, a Barnabas Health facility.  “At Barnabas Health, we believe ‘Life is better healthy.†This program encourages exercise, an important component of our mission for healthier lifestyles. We thank Mayor Fulop for bringing Bike Share to Jersey City and, as a Jersey City resident, I look forward to taking part in this easy and convenient means of transportation.” Membership sign-ups start August 5th at www.citibikejc.com. Members who sign up before opening day will have access to the program in New York City immediately and ride in Jersey City on the systemâ€s opening day. Pricing across New York and New Jersey will be the same, with an annual membership cost of $149. Members are entitled to unlimited use of the system for individual bike trips of up to 45 minutes. Members using the Citi Bikes for longer periods will be charged a graduated fee. There also will be options for day and weekly memberships. Corporate memberships are also available. Any Jersey City employer that signs up by October 1st will be designated a charter member, with the opportunity to extend a 50% or 100% subsidy to every employee. More information is available by emailing marketing@citibikejc.com. The Citi Bike program now joins other regional bike share networks including Hubway, Capital Bike Share and Bay Area Bike Share in providing a transportation network that serves residents across municipal boundaries with one single, seamless membership. Citi Bike in the New York / New Jersey area is the largest bike share program in the United States and one of the largest in the world. Citi Bike riders have taken over 19 million trips on the program in New York since it launched in May 2013.   ### About Motivate Motivate is a global leader in bike share. A full-service bike share operator and technology innovator, Motivate works to re-envision how people experience and move around cities.  Motivate currently manages all of the largest bike share systems in the United States and many of the largest systems in the world, including Bay Area Bike Share (California Bay Area), Citi Bike (New York), Divvy (Chicago), CoGo Bike Share (Columbus, Ohio), Capital Bike Share (Washington, D.C.; Arlington and Alexandria, Va.; and Montgomery County, Md.), Hubway (Boston, Somerville, Cambridge and Brookline, Mass.), Pronto (Seattle), Bike Chattanooga (Tenn.), Bike Share Toronto and Melbourne Bike Share in Australia as well as Bay Area Bike Share. Motivateâ€s newest system is Citi Bike Jersey City, N.J., that will be compatible with New York Cityâ€s Citi Bike program.        

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