Bike-Share Goes Live at 11 – Don’t Forget to Activate Your Key

As of 8:15 a.m., the bikes on Howard Street by Streetsblog HQ were available to annual Citi Bike members. All stations will be turned on by 11 a.m. this morning. Photo: Ben Fried

Good morning on this momentous Monday. Shortly, workers with NYC Bike Share are going to turn on 330 or so public bike stations, giving New Yorkers access to a new transit network. At around 11 a.m., those stations should all be ready to release bikes to the 13,000 some-odd annual Citi Bike members who registered by May 17.

If you have a Citi Bike key and plan to use the system today, you’ll need to activate your account first. Here’s where you can do that. If you need help remembering your login, call the Citi Bike customer service line at 855-BIKE-311. Be prepared to wait a bit before you reach someone. My wife called for a login reminder yesterday, was on hold for seven minutes, then spoke to an amiable representative who helped her fill in the blanks.

Also, if you bought a membership by May 17 but have yet to receive your key in the mail, you can go to the south side of Union Square any time before 5 p.m. today to get a fob from NYC Bike Share.

Mayor Bloomberg and Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan are holding a press conference in City Hall Park at 11:15 to cut the ribbon on Citi Bike. Stay tuned for our coverage of the event, plus dispatches from around the Citi Bike service area as New Yorkers try out bike-share in our city for the first time.

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