Over 1,200 participants involved in the City’s Department of Youth and Community Development’s Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) can look forward to free Citi Bike memberships after an announcement made on Tuesday.
Lyft, the operator of Citi Bike, has partnered with Healthfirst, New York's largest not-for-profit health insurer to give these youth "an accessible and affordable transportation option to commute to their jobs," said Bill Abrams, VP, Brand and Marketing Communications, Healthfirst.
These memberships will also encourage a healthy form of exercise.
"Biking is not only a fun way to explore the city, but it's also an important way to introduce young people to lifelong sustainable travel behavior," said Inbar Kishoni, Lyft Community and Equity Program Manager for Citi Bike.
For 16-24 year olds in this year’s SYEP program who live or work in the Citi Bike service area, memberships will be free for the duration of the program, from July 1 to August 31, 2022. All recipients must attend a training session to learn how to ride Citi Bikes to receive their free membership.
The city’s SYEP program, which is the largest in the country, runs for six weeks. Through the program young people will learn with both on-site and virtual project-based and paid opportunities with over 65 employers to develop their professional, social, civic, and leadership skills.
The worksite experience cohorts will begin on July 5th and July 11th, 2022, offering employment opportunities for young people between the ages of 16-24.
