This July New Yorkers will get a public bike rental program in the form of 10,000 bikes available for pick up in Manhattan and Brooklyn.
In a scene already familiar to Europeans, as well as Washingtonians, the bikes will placed around the city at “docking stations” where the public can check out a bike with the swipe of a credit card for a set amount of time before returning it, so someone else can rent it.
The program, dubbed “Citi Bike,” is sponsored by Citigroup for a reported $41 million (hence the name), and Mastercard, which means no public funds will be used to support the program.
The city’s Dept. of Transportation put out a call for proposals on starting a bike-sharing program about two years ago and NYC Bike Share, whose parent company, Alta Bicycle Share, runs the Boston and Washington, DC, city bike programs, won the five-year contract.
The public can rent a bike for about $10 a day, or less if they choose an annual membership. Full rates:









