MAYOR CANTRELL
ANNOUNCES RETURN OF BLUE BIKES BIKE SHARE PROGRAM TO NEW ORLEANS
NEW ORLEANS — Mayor LaToya Cantrell today announced
that Blue Bikes, Louisiana’s first bike share program, will return to
the City of New Orleans later this summer. A fleet of 500 pedal-assist
e-bikes will be ready to ride by Sept. 1.
“The
upcoming launch of Blue Bikes is a major accomplishment in our
commitment to improve equity, connectivity, safety and efficiency in
our transportation networks. Bike share is a critical component of our
transportation system; people rely on it to get to work, and we are
excited that 500 bikes will be back on the streets soon. We appreciate
the partnership in the Greater New Orleans Foundation, which helped
develop the new program, and are thankful for the return of Blue Cross
Blue Shield of Louisiana as lead sponsor. Blue Bikes is returning
better than before, with a greater focus on supporting our community
every step of the way,” said Mayor
Cantrell.
The city
announced the relaunch of Blue Bikes in partnership with Blue Krewe, a
local, community-based nonprofit organization that operates the
program, and title sponsor Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana.
Mayor
Cantrell was also joined by Office of Transportation Director Laura
Bryan and Policy and Program Manager Dan Jatres; President and CEO of
Blue Cross Blue Shield Dr. I. Steven Udvarhelyi; Board Member of Blue
Krewe Destinie Hammond; President & CEO of Greater New Orleans
Foundation Andy Kopplin; and Executive Director of Bike Easy Dan
Favre.
About
Blue Bikes 2.0
Blue Bikes
first launched in 2017 and was in operation through spring 2020. During
that time, residents and visitors embraced Blue Bikes as a valuable
community asset. Bike share offered a healthy, environmentally-friendly
and accessible transportation option to move around the Crescent City.
Blue Bikes
2.0 will have a particular focus on serving areas identified in the
City of New Orleans’ Bicycle Equity Index, which are primarily
lower-income and communities of color with low car ownership rates. The
program will connect these neighborhoods to job centers and amenities.
Additionally,
through dedicated outreach with specific metrics to measure progress,
Blue Bikes 2.0 will ensure that bike share is easily accessible for
residents of color and low-wealth communities, residents who work in
the service and hospitality industry, and/or residents who lack access
to other transportation options.
People can
sign up to ride Blue Bikes by downloading the Blue Bikes Nola app.
People can also ride through the $0.15 per minute Pay As You Go option
or with a $25 monthly membership. Additionally, through the Blue Bikes
for All program, New Orleans residents who qualify for Medicaid or
Louisiana Purchase (SNAP) will be able to access a reduced-price plan
of $4 per month. To learn more about the Blue Bikes pricing and system
area, visit BlueBikesNola.com.
"We
are proud of our partnership with Blue Krewe and the City of New
Orleans to bring this healthy, environmentally friendly, affordable
transportation option back to the Crescent City," said Dr. I. Steven Udvarhelyi, Blue
Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana President and CEO.
"Blue Bikes promotes healthy exercise and gives residents an easy
way to get to work or school, go to medical appointments or shop at
full-service grocery stores and farmers markets. We know from the first
round of the program that Blue Bikes meets transportation needs in the
New Orleans community, and we’re looking forward to seeing the bikes
rolling through city streets again."
Blue
Bikes 2.0 Operations
During its
first years of operation, the Blue Bikes program was highly successful,
with riders logging more than a million miles within the first two
years and eliminating more than a million miles in carbon offset — a
gasoline cost savings of nearly $700,000. Trips taken and miles ridden
jumped up each year of Blue Bikes’ operation, as more people embraced
the program.
The
original Blue Bikes system shut down in spring 2020 following ownership
changes that led to the previous out-of-state corporate operator ending
bike share operations in the New Orleans market.
But,
recognizing the importance of Blue Bikes for New Orleans and the need
for local control of the city’s bike-share system, local bike share
enthusiasts – including former Blue Bikes staff, bicycling and walking
advocates, philanthropists and community healthcare organizations – came
together to form Blue Krewe last year. The Greater New Orleans
Foundation provided critical start-up funding and fiscal sponsorship
for Blue Krewe. Blue Krewe's partners include Bike Easy, title sponsor
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana, and the City of New Orleans.
“When
corporate decision-makers far from New Orleans shut down our bike share
program during the middle of the pandemic, we knew we needed the next
era of bike share to be controlled locally,” said Andy Kopplin, President &
CEO of the Greater New Orleans Foundation and Treasurer of the Blue
Krewe board. “The Greater New Orleans Foundation was
thrilled to work with Mayor Cantrell and our partners to create the new
nonprofit structure and provide critical seed capital and fiscal sponsorship
to get Blue Krewe off the ground.”
Blue
Krewe’s governance structure as a community-based nonprofit
organization is specifically designed to ensure the long-term
sustainability of an equitable bike share program in New Orleans.
Blue Krewe
has assembled a board of directors with a wealth of experience and
dedication to Southeastern Louisiana. Blue Krewe’s Board of Directors
includes:
Board
President Corey
Hebert, CEO, College Health TV and Chief Medical
Editor of Black News Channel
Board
Secretary Dan
Favre, Executive Director of Bike Easy
Treasurer
Andy Kopplin,
CEO and President of the Greater New Orleans Foundation
Board
Member Destinie
Hammond, Communications Manager for the North
American Bikeshare Association
Board
Member Emilie
Bahr, Urban Planner and Walking + Biking
Evangelist
Ex-Officio
Board Member Laura
Bryan, Director of the City of New Orleans Mayor’s
Office of Transportation
Ex-Officio
Board Member Rod
Teamer, Director of Diversity Program and Business
Development, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana
For more
information and timely updates on the Blue Bikes 2.0 launch, visit BlueBikesNOLA.com
or follow Blue Bikes on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @BlueBikesNOLA.
# # #
About Blue Krewe
Founded in
New Orleans in 2020, Blue Krewe is a local, community-based nonprofit
that manages and operates the Blue Bikes program. Recognizing the
importance of Blue Bikes as a healthy, equitable, and
environmentally-friendly transportation option, local bikeshare
enthusiasts – such former Blue Bikes staff, biking and pedestrian
advocates, philanthropists and community healthcare advocates – came
together to form Blue Krewe. Here at Blue Krewe, we are committed to
our mission to provide the Greater New Orleans region with equitable
shared micro-mobility solutions that are rooted in and supportive of
our community.
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