Skip to main content

Four New York boroughs to trial dockless bike-share scheme

Four boroughs in New York will host a dockless bike share scheme this summer to offer citizens an inexpensive transportation option. The project, announced by Mayor Bill de Blasio, will allow the city to evaluate different dockless companies as well as those offering pedal-assist bikes. Initially, two pilots will launch in beach communities Coney Island in Brooklyn and the Rockaways in Queens in July. Two more initiatives will then follow in the neighbourhood near Fordham University in the Bronx and on Sta
June 4, 2018 Read time: 2 mins
Four boroughs in New York will host a dockless bike share scheme this summer to offer citizens an inexpensive transportation option. The project, announced by Mayor Bill de Blasio, will allow the city to evaluate different dockless companies as well as those offering pedal-assist bikes.


Initially, two pilots will launch in beach communities Coney Island in Brooklyn and the Rockaways in Queens in July. Two more initiatives will then follow in the neighbourhood near Fordham University in the Bronx and on Staten Island's North Shore.

The project stems from a Request for Expressions of Interest issued by Department of Transport (DoT) in December 2017 that sought ideas around next-generation dockless public bike share systems.

The DoT will present plans to each community board and establish the boundaries for each area. In addition, the department will select the companies assigned to the communities.

These bikes will arrive on a rolling basis with the intention of having 200 models available to offer riders half-hour journeys. Users will be able to rent the vehicles from a mobile phone, usually for $1 or $2 per ride.

During the initiative, the DoT will assess companies' compliance with pilot requirements around data accessibility and user privacy. The criteria will also include the safety, availability and durability of the bikes.

After September, the DoT will work with local stakeholders to extend or discontinue the trials based on performance.

Related Content

  • Gig economy ‘makes congestion better AND worse’, says StreetLight Data
    March 15, 2019
    The gig economy is reshaping the way we think about travel and recreation – but when it comes to whether it increases congestion, there’s no simple answer, finds Adam Hill
  • Substantial savings from smarter street lighting
    February 25, 2015
    As authorities strive to reduce expenditure and carbon emissions, Colin Sowman looks at some of the smart ways of managing street lighting while containing costs and maintaining safety. Street lighting can account for 40% of an authority’s energy consumption. So, faced with the need to reduce outgoings, some authorities are looking for smart ways of managing street lighting or even turning off swathes of street lights in the small hours. Back in 2008 the E-street Initiative report concluded that authorities
  • City of South Perth trials in-ground parking sensors
    June 25, 2015
    Working in partnership with Australian Parking and Revenue Control (APARC), the City of South Perth has recently installed in-ground parking sensors for a three-month trial period. The RFID-equipped SmartEye sensor from UK company Smart Parking is surface flush mounted and records when a vehicle arrives and departs from a parking bay. Once a vehicle has overstayed the permitted time limit, a signal is sent from the sensor to the nearest Council ranger's smart phone device. The City decided to proceed
  • Toyota launches congestion management pilot in Thailand
    April 27, 2015
    Toyota Mobility Foundation (TMF) and Toyota Motor Thailand (TMT) will partner with Chulalongkorn University (Chula) on a pilot traffic and congestion management project on the heavily-congested Sathorn Road, Bangkok, Thailand. The project, which will take an estimated eighteen months to complete, from April 2015 –to December 2016, and a US$3.4 million investment, will create a road map to manage traffic control and flow by focusing on four areas. These include the developing sustainable shuttle bus and p