Bike New York Program Creates New Opportunities for Formerly Incarcerated Individuals

by Odochi Akwani, Writer and Content Manager

Now in its fifth year, Bike Path extends its program citywide to transform more lives.

What started as a partnership between One Community and Bike New York in 2019 has blossomed into a critical workforce development program. Through the program, formerly incarcerated individuals are trained by Bike Path staff on Motivate equipment, the operator of Citi Bike in New York City, to become certified bike mechanics during a four-week curriculum. 

“We solely recruit those that are formerly incarcerated. It does not matter how long someone has done time,” says Jeremy Lockett, Bike Path community engagement and equity programs senior manager. “We see a lot of people not getting the resources they need, especially coming back to New York City. As the neighborhoods change, prices go up, and as infrastructure changes, coming home looks a lot different. One of the hardest things is finding a job that’s going to pay you well.”

Participants start training on a traditional bike learning how to diagnose common bike issues, test brakes, and how certain power tools, specific to Citi Bike, are used to repair a bike. In week three, participants transition to working on electric Citi Bike bikes, clocking in about 50 hours of total training by the end of the program.

What’s special about week three is participants get to walk away, or rather, bike away, with the same bike they fixed up, plus they are guaranteed an interview with Motivate’s director of operations and a recruiter.

“At the end of that third week, they come back for their last week, walking in with smiles on their faces, ready to accept those job offers. They’re asking, ‘What are the details of working on day one?’ ‘Where’s my orientation?’ ‘What documentation do I need to bring?’ We’re supporting them through those four weeks, and we’re supporting them after as well into their new job,” says Lockett.

The partnership with Motivate is a large part of why the program is valuable. Motivate allows participants to visit its bike mechanic depots and observe how the day-to-day operations work. In 2024, 45 people graduated and went on to be hired as full-time seasonal bike mechanics at Motivate earning $25.25/hour and an opportunity to join the union after 90 days. Additionally, 28 of those 45 graduates were promoted to full-time, non-seasonal positions at Motivate.

According to Lockett, based on a 90-day retention rate, in 2024, employees who graduated from the Bike Path program were employed longer than Motivate’s general population of workers — a 75% retention versus a 69% retention. 

“It’s been life-altering,” says 2024 graduate Jose from Brooklyn. “It’s been a tremendous experience. I never saw myself in a position fixing bikes or a particular interest in the mechanics behind a bike, and I just never gave it any thought. I didn’t know what to expect, and I just fell in love with it.” 

Jose learned about Bike Path through a referral from Fedcap, an organization that offers programs “to help individuals achieve success in education and employment and become self-sufficient adults.” These programs include services that support those with criminal justice involvement.

According to Lockett, recruitment for Bike Path is done through reentry programs and referral partners who already have an established relationship with a participant. He attributes part of the success of 2024 to opening up to a more diverse pool of referral sources. Previously, Bike Path was recruiting from the Fort Greene and Clinton Hill communities in Brooklyn. In 2024, they decided to go citywide and connect with new partners and probation officers who work with formerly incarcerated individuals.

In 2024, the program graduated more women than in previous years. Bike Path worked with Hour Children in Queens, a “leading provider of services to incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women in New York State. Focused on women and their children.” According to Lockett, statistically, women are more successful in the Bike Path program in terms of graduation rates.

“We see people coming from all walks of life, men and women coming to the program that have never picked up a wrench, that have never fixed a flat tire, who don’t know that a bike is more than three parts, that will say, ‘Okay, this is something that’s for me,’” says Lockett.

The Bike Path program is entirely funded by donors. Lockett highlighted the challenges of securing funding for such a program, pointing to the stigma faced by formerly incarcerated individuals and the hesitation to expand bike-sharing initiatives in New York City as key obstacles. He explained that they are constantly seeking ways to invest in this program and help break the cycle of negative impacts caused by the criminal justice system.

Bike Path is a bike mechanic training program that provides ongoing support to participants beyond certification. Lockett and his team also advocate for participants by writing character reference letters to their parole officers.

“In today’s society, people formerly incarcerated are looked down upon and are often not given a second opportunity,” says Jose. “With an opportunity like this, you can start to open other doors for yourself.”

This year’s program launches in the spring, with three cohorts beginning on March 3, March 31, and April 12. By equipping participants with valuable trade skills and creating pathways to employment, Bike Path demonstrates the potential of reentry programs to foster successful workforce transitions and second chances.

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The Better Bike Share Partnership is funded by The JPB Foundation as a collaboration between the City of Philadelphia, the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO), and the PeopleForBikes Foundation to build equitable and replicable bike share systems.

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