In a year when bicycling has boomed throughout Western New York, Reddy BikeShare is adding 40 new bikes and 11 stations to the City of Buffalo.
Reddy BikeShare was seeing an increase in bike usage around Buffalo before the pandemic hit. Since last year it has doubled. Co-founder and Communications Director Jennifer White said they have had expansion plans in the works for a while, but it was not appropriate to put them into effect at the start of the pandemic.
“So we waited until phase four of the reopening process,” White said. “And you know, now it's more appropriate to be able to expand into new neighborhoods and be able to provide transportation option and a healthy recreation and fitness option for more residents and in more neighborhoods of Buffalo”
Reddy BikeShare uses GPS technology to track how much and where they are being used. White said they work with the Department of Public Works and show them the data they receive.
“We also have the ability to show the city of Buffalo, ‘Hey, this is where more people are riding to,’” White said. “And there is data here that proves that we do need some more bike infrastructure in certain areas.”
White said with the current demand the non-profit hopes to continue to grow and keep providing an amenity that people want. Prior to this, Reddy BikeShare expanded in Niagara Falls with 145 bikes and 30 stations.
This is the first time they’ve added to Buffalo since 2016. Some of the new stations have been
placed on Buffalo’s East side, including at Northland Workforce Training Center, First Centennial Missionary Baptist Church and the Frank E. Merriweather, Jr. Library.
“One of the things that we pride ourselves on is that we don't just want to put stations down anywhere,” White said. “It is my job to focus on working with the community, engaging with our station partners, and educate people on the experience that we've had over the past several seasons in how we are able to promote and encourage people to, you know, adapt to a new type of lifestyle.”
This is Reddy BikeShare’s fifth season of operation. Discounted annual memberships and some free ones are being offered to meet demand.
