Reddy Bikeshare
Shared Mobility Inc. (SMI) is a Buffalo, New York-based nonprofit that advances innovative transportation services that focus on a shared model. Founded in 2009 as the operator of Buffalo CarShare, the nation’s first social equity-focused shared mobility program, SMI has leveraged its experience in eliminating barriers to mobility in underserved communities. In 2016, SMI launched Reddy Bikeshare to provide shared bike service in Buffalo with that same social equity focus. Through local partnerships with public and private partners, SMI was able to expand Reddy’s coverage to Niagara Falls in late 2019. With Reddy Bikeshare, SMI is committed to providing an affordable, accessible, and equitable mobility option for residents across Western New York.
Reddy Bikeshare was the only operating bike share system in New York State during the COVID-19 crisis outside of New York City — a big responsibility they willingly took on to provide a valuable form of essential transportation. To serve essential and healthcare workers in the Buffalo-Niagara community, Reddy Bikeshare:
- Equipped all of their bikes with bottles of hand sanitizer for riders to use before and after their trip
- Placed complimentary hand sanitizers at several high-use stations
- Increased bike cleaning and sanitation procedures, specifically with high touch surfaces.
- Deployed additional signage on bikes and at all stations directing users to follow all CDC guidelines
- Offered 500+ $1 annual memberships to essential and healthcare workers
Throughout the pandemic, it’s been a priority for Reddy Bikeshare to ensure mobility options for frontline workers region-wide. Jennifer White, Reddy Bikeshare’s co-founder and Communications Director, says they’re using this time to “push forward the message that bike sharing is an integral piece of not only a city’s vibrancy, economic development, and the physical and mental health of its people, but it’s holistic transportation landscape.”
As an essential transportation service, Reddy bikes open up opportunities for people in Western New York who don’t have the option of personal car ownership, which is 30% of the city of Buffalo and 20% of Niagara Falls households.