Hoboken & Jersey City roll out first-in-the region overflow parking pilot for Citi Bike as annual ridership approaches 1 million

The City of Hoboken and City of Jersey City today announced a first-of-its-kind overflow parking pilot for the Citi Bike program, which aims to improve reliability at high-demand stations. The pilot program, made available through Lyft, launched at certain stations earlier this week to address parking capacity issues when docking stations are full using adjacent geofenced parking areas.

Under the pilot program, riders can park e-bikes in clearly marked overflow zones identified by paint or delineators, ensuring they do not block the pedestrian right-of-way or create tripping hazards. To avoid additional fees, riders must end their trip within the Citi Bike app. The pilot is currently limited to e-bikes because they are equipped with GPS technology and have higher usage rates. Riders participating in the pilot will also see a step-by-step, guided experience in the app to help them locate and properly use overflow parking areas, as well as check availability.

The goal of the overflow pilot is to improve trip reliability and give riders greater confidence that they will be able to end their rides by expanding parking capacity at high-demand locations. Currently if a docking station is full, riders must find a nearby station to dock in order to successfully end their trip.

Overflow parking is currently available at Bergen Avenue & Sip Avenue and at Journal Square stations in Jersey City, as well as in a designated area across from the River Street & First Street station in Hoboken.

Over the past year, riders have taken over 290,000 trips on e-bikes in Hoboken, comprising approximately 2/3 of all trips. The stations around Hoboken Terminal, including the pilot location, are among the top used stations in Hoboken and have supported over 600,000 trips during the past year.

The pilot program comes as Hoboken and Jersey City also advance a proposed renewal of their joint contract with Lyft for the continued operation of the Citi Bike system. Both Cities are expected to vote on approving a new contract with Lyft at their council meetings on April 22.

The proposed contract will result in more than $200,000 in annual savings for Hoboken and over $500,000 for Jersey City while maintaining the shared bike service community members rely on for riders both cities. As part of this continued commitment to equitable access, Hoboken and Jersey City will also continue to offer discounted membership rates for low- and moderate-income households, ensuring that the system remains affordable and accessible.

The Citi Bike program in Hoboken and Jersey City has supported 4.6 million rides since the program expanded to Hoboken in 2021, including almost 1 million rides over the past year alone.

"At the end of the day, this is about making it easier for people to get around Hoboken and Jersey City safely and reliably," said Hoboken Mayor Emily B. Jabbour. "By launching Citi Bike's first overflow parking pilot in the region, we're helping riders find space when they need them while keeping our streets and sidewalks clear for everyone. Along with a fiscally responsible contract renewal, this initiative helps us continue to deliver the Citi Bike service with our partners in Jersey City that so many in our community count on every day."

"Jersey City is a city of commuters, and Citi Bike has become a genuine part of how our residents get to work, run errands, and move through their neighborhoods," said Jersey City Mayor James Solomon. "We're proud to partner with Hoboken, and equally proud that we're renewing this contract in a way that saves taxpayer dollars over a half million dollars, while continuing to provide affordable, reliable bike share. Additionally, this overflow pilot is a smart, practical fix to one of the most common frustrations riders face - showing up to a full station with nowhere to dock."