Cincinnati's bike sharing group is partnering withCityLinkto provide low cost memberships.
Under a pilot program, Red Bike is offering $5 memberships to twenty CityLink members. CityLink will pay Red Bike $20 for the memberships. Regular memberships cost $80 per year. The partnership is funded by a grant from Interact for Health.
CityLink gathers multiple social service agencies under one roof in the West End to make it easier for those in need to access support. Executive Director Johnmark Oudersluys says the partnership will help CityLink clients navigate downtown. "Which could mean getting back home. It could mean getting to Findlay Market. It could be getting to different resources that they need in the community all while having the very important impact of improving their health."
Red Bike Executive Director Barron says he's excited about the partnership because a lot of bike share groups around the country have struggled to be accessible to everyone. "There's a lot of different barriers, they're not all cost, but there's just different barriers and a lot of it has to do with coming to folks and meeting them where they're at."
If the program is successful, Barron says it could be expanded both at CityLink and with other organizations.
