NEW ORLEANS — Blue Bikes will be rolling on city streets again starting this week, after a year’s absence. Blue Krewe, the local, community-based nonprofit that operates and manages the bikeshare program, has relaunched the program with a fleet of 504 pedal-assist e-bikes.
Starting this week, Blue Krewe is placing Blue Bikes at hubs throughout the city; the full complement should be out on the streets by the end of the week and well in advance of Labor Day Weekend.
The initial fleet will be placed within the bikeshare program’s service area. Residents, tourists, or visitors who have signed up for Blue Bikes can begin riding or sign up to use the bikeshare program.
“We are excited to see Blue Bikes returning to our streets sooner than expected, to give our residents and visitors more affordable transportation options,” said Mayor LaToya Cantrell. “I want to encourage everyone to get out and enjoy the outdoors over Labor Day weekend, and spend some time bicycling around our city.”
“Blue Bikes returning to city streets means New Orleanians once again have a healthy, environmentally friendly, affordable way to get to work, to medical appointments or to just have fun,” said Dr. Jeremy Wigginton, a medical director with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana, Blue Bikes’ title sponsor. “And with the ongoing COVID-19 surge, bikeshare is a more socially distanced form of transportation than riding inside a vehicle with others. This will help people get around easily while staying safe and taking precautions to slow the spread of COVID-19, particularly the highly contagious Delta variant.”
How to Ride
To ride Blue Bikes, download the Blue Bikes Nola app, which is available in the App Store and Google Play. People can choose from different ridership plans and payment options to use Blue Bikes:
- The Pay As You Go option costs 15 cents per minute and includes a $1 unlocking fee. There is no ongoing commitment required for this You will be charged only for the time you use (per minute).
- The Monthly Membership option costs $25 and lets you unlock a Blue Bike without a fee anytime you ride. Monthly memberships include up to an hour of free ride time per day, which you can use in multiple trips.
- Through the Blue Bikes for All program, New Orleans residents who qualify for Medicaid or Louisiana Purchase (S/NAP) can get a reduced ridership plan of $4 per month.
To learn more about the Blue Bikes pricing and rider options, visit BlueBikesNola.com.
Ready to ride now? Blue Krewe is looking for volunteers who will ride a Blue Bike to a hub in any part of the service area. The initial service area includes parts of the Lower Garden District, Central City, the Central Business District, the French Quarter, the Marigny, the Bywater, the 7th Ward, Tremé, Mid-City and the lower section of City Park. This volunteer-driven effort will help get bikes into the community faster.
If you would like to volunteer as a rider, reach out to info@bluekrewe.org. Blue Krewe will arrange times for you to meet at the Blue Bikes warehouse to get a bike.
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