NEWARK, N.J. (WCBS 880) — Newark is launching its first bike and scooter share program, hoping to emulate the success that Citi Bike had in the five boroughs.
Mayor Ras Baraka says the NewarkGo bike and e-scooter share program launched this month and hopes to address equity issues that have been an issue in other cities across the country.
“Unlike other places, we’re concentrating on that equity and making sure that this mobile program is, in fact affordable to residents of this city to move around,” he said.
Around 2,000 bikes and e-scooters are now scattered across the city for a six-month pilot program. Two leading companies, Bird Rides, Inc.
(“Bird”) and Veoride, Inc. (“Veo”), are operating the services.
“While our schools, offices and businesses continue to reopen, NewarkGo can help Newarkers access all that our city has to offer,” said Mayor Baraka. “This safe, fast and affordable service is the first new mode of transportation our city has seen in decades, and I look forward to partnering with Bird and Veo to build stronger connections between communities and open up new avenues of opportunity for people in every corner of this city.”
Newark’s engineering director Phil Scott says city residents will be able to use the program through an app on their smartphones, but there are also other options.
“There’s going to be an app in which you can use to rent the vehicles, as well as other ways to do it for people who may not have a smartphone,” he said.
The city says the pilot program will assess key safety concerns, as nearby Elizabeth had to nix its e-scooter pilot program over two years ago, when a teenager was struck and killed by a tow truck driver.
Scott notes that the city plans to expand bike lanes to better protect users of the program.
“We want to try to get as many bike lanes as we can to provide for more safety,” he said.
Hoboken also did away with its e-scooters but, has since signed on with Citi Bike.
New York City is currently piloting another e-scooter program in the Bronx.