Reddy Bikeshare 8th Season Launch
Reddy Bikeshare takes off with its 8th ride season! April has afforded us some great weather, and our users have clocked a record number of rides for the month this year.
April started differently, though. Check out these photos of our Reddy Operations team clearing ice to install one of the station hubs. They really rock.
Sophie Wisoff, Fleet Mechanic, and Matt Rebbman, Operations Manager, installing a Reddy Bike station, April 2023
In addition to Reddy’s record number of trips, the Reddy Team has gone out into the community to do five tabling outreach events this April. The team gives away cool swag such as t-shirts, sunglasses, stickers, and even rider credits and pass discounts.
Reddy Team members Simon and Marli at the Walk With Us event hosted at the Niagara Falls Underground Heritage Center by Create a Healthier Niagara Falls Collaborative, Sunday, April 16, 2023
1st Annual 100-Mile Challenge
Other exciting updates include Reddy’s first annual 100-Mile Challenge! The challenge is a new way for the Reddy team to engage with their users. Riders who do over 100 miles in the season will be invited to an end-of-the-year reception during October. The top ten finalists will win a special prize pack, and the top-scoring bicyclist will win two Buffalo Bills tickets, all provided by Independent Health.
Simon, Reddy’s Communications Director, says he has not seen a bikeshare operator do a program like this. He says that Reddy wants to do more than incentivize people to sign up for the bikes but empower users to be excited to get their miles in and ride for routine trips. The 100-Mile Challenge is our team’s way of giving back to and cultivating community among our most engaged riders.
National Bike Week
The fun doesn’t stop there, though. April leads up to the kick-off of National Bike Month in May! Buffalo will be in full bike-lovin’ swing with events ranging from breakfasts at the Buffalo Hostel and Lexington Coop and happy hours to weekly group rides and tours to bike repair workshops and volunteer opportunities.
This year is even Slow Roll Buffalo’s 10th annual season! Rides will happen every Monday from today, May 1, to Monday, October 30. Rides meet at 6 pm, take off by 6:30 pm, after party at 8 pm. If you can’t join for the first one, make sure to plan for Slow Roll’s Truth and Reconciliation Ride remembering the May 14 attack on our community. There will be a stop at the Tops on Jefferson where Dr. Henry Louis Taylor, director of the Center for Urban Studies at the University at Buffalo, will speak some truth and reconciliation in the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King's "Where do we go from here?" Afterward, there will be a gathering at Em Tea Coffee Cup for food, drinks, vendors, live music, and fellowship.
We also can’t forget about Bike to Work Week, happening May 15 to Friday, May 19. It is the perfect opportunity to try out biking as a commute option if you have been “sensing the call,” so to say. In the middle of it, Pit Stop Parties across the city will add an extra kick to the week! Locations include:
Niagara and Hampshire along the cycle track
Utica and Delaware on the lawn of the Church of Annunciation
Main Street at the Hostel
Broadway Ave at GObike HQ
Join the challenge, and when you log your commutes using the RideSpot app, you will get entered to win a $50 Shop716 gift card. You can sign up as an individual or get your co-workers involved and sign up as an organization! Biking to work can boost team morale, your own active transportation, and, even better, reduce carbon output.
Don’t have a bike? Check the Reddy Bikeshare ride passes. There are over 400 bikes spread across 100 stations. We would love to see the bikes get more pedal action than ever before this month.
Join the Buffalo community in all the fun planned for the upcoming month. Some awesome people are putting heart and soul into making this an unforgettable kick-off to summer cycling in Buffalo. Check out GObike Buffalo’s page for a breakdown of all the fantastic events happening in May. We are excited to see micromobility in its prime!