Image Courtesy of Blue Krewe

New Orleanians Are Ready to Ride as Blue Bikes Return to the City

11:00 August 03, 2021
By: Marigny Lanaux

Whether you're exploring a new city or just need to get to your destination, Blue Bikes are a sustainable and convenient means of transportation. The Greater New Orleans Foundation is partnering with the City of New Orleans to finally bring back Blue Bikes in a new way.

When Blue Bikes originally launched back in 2017, the community started using these bikes as an everyday asset. People rode these bikes to check out new places in the city, go shopping, and get to work. This was an environmentally friendly way of transportation that New Orleanians utilized by logging over a million miles in rides during the first two years. Despite its success, the program was removed in the spring of 2020 due to ownership changes. However, people in the local community recognized that the need for a bike-share system was crucial and formed Blue Krewe.

Blue Krewe is a nonprofit organization that will operate the new Blue Bike program, Blue Bikes 2.0, and is sponsored by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana. This organization is made up of former Blue Bikes staff, biking/pedestrian advocates, philanthropists, and community healthcare advocates.

The collaboration of these local organizations and passionate citizens will bring back an affordable and sustainable way for people to make their way around the city. The same high-quality bikes will be used while also making sure that the bikes are accessible to lower-income neighborhoods and areas with low car ownership rates.

By downloading the Blue Bikes Nola app, you can pay as you ride for $0.15 per minute, or you can purchase the $25 monthly membership. However, any New Orleans resident who has Medicaid or Louisiana Purchase (S/NAP) will have access to a reduced riding rate of $4 per month.

500 Blue Bikes will be ready to ride in the city by September 1. Many New Orleans neighborhoods will have Blue Bike stations, including parts of the Lower Garden District, the Central Business District, the French Quarter, the Marigny, Tremé, and Mid-City.

For more information, please visit bluebikesnola.com.

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