Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Bicycling

Citi Bike Launch Pushed Back From July to August

Bike-share will be coming to New York later than previously announced. Photo: Noah Kazis

The city's bike-share system will launch in August, not the previously announced start date of July, according to the Citi Bike Twitter feed.

Two months ago, city officials announced that New Yorkers would be able to start taking trips on the new public bike system by late July. Now bike-share operator Alta is telling prospective bike-share customers that the launch date will come in August.

Confirmation of the delay came over Twitter, where Alta responded to a number of city residents eager to start riding. "Hi David, thanks for your continued support and interest in Citi Bike! Look for the launch in August," said one tweet last week. "You'll be able to sign up for memberships next month," said another. In another sign that the wait for the launch will extend past July, the Citi Bike team has added a set of public demos to its events calendar, with dates through August 1.

New Yorkers will get some advance notice about the impending system launch when Citi Bike stations start to pop up on the streets. Rolling out the system should happen fairly rapidly, since the stations can be quickly installed or uninstalled. The solar-powered, wireless stations don't need to be connected to the electrical grid, just craned into place, a process that takes about an hour per station. Still, it takes time to install as many stations as Alta will be bringing to NYC. In Boston, Alta took three weeks to reinstall the 600-bike system after it was put away for the winter.

Streetsblog has asked Alta and the Department of Transportation what caused the delay, when bike-share will launch, and how many bikes will be available at the outset.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Beach Reading: Zohran Mamdani’s Answers to Streetsblog’s Mayoral Candidate Survey

Spend the holiday weekend with Zohran Mamdani's answers to Streetsblog's mayoral candidate questionnaire.

July 4, 2025

Friday Video: Why NYC Needs ‘Low-Traffic Neighborhoods’

London's Church Street, like so many of our business corridors, was choking on cars — until the advent of the low-traffic neighborhood.

July 4, 2025

Friday’s Headlines: E-Bikes in Parks … Permanently Edition

The Parks Department will permanently allow e-bikes in city parks following a two-year pilot. Plus more news.

July 4, 2025

Anti-Miracle On 34th Street: Adams Administration Pauses Work On 34th Street Busway

The highly-anticipated 34th Street busway may not happen under Mayor Adams after all, sources said.

July 3, 2025

Manhattan DA Says Alleged Central Park Hit-and-Run Cyclist Didn’t Flee, Drops Charges

Prosecutors said the 30-year-old cyclist "remained on the scene for about 45 minutes after the crash and waited for paramedics to arrive to treat the injured person."

Sean Duffy’s ‘Great America Road Trip’ Wants You to Drive to Central Park

Sean Duffy's "Great American Road Trip" encourages Americans to drive to sites in the most transit-rich and car-choked parts of the country.

July 3, 2025
See all posts