Thursday, March 27, 2014

Citi Bike boss resigns as programs fails to meet monthly standards


Justin Ginsburgh of Citibike in his Twitter profile photo. Justin Ginsburgh via Twitter Justin Ginsburgh has quit his post as Citi Bike’s manager.

There’s another big bump in the road for Citi Bike.


Justin Ginsburgh, the manager of the beleaguered bike share program, has resigned, officials confirmed Wednesday.


Ginsburgh, 33, has decided to become a special adviser to Peter Lehrer, the principal of Lehrer LLC, a firm that manages large construction projects.


The resignation was first reported by the Daily News.


When the privately run Citi Bike program was launched in May, its 6,000 distinctive blue bicycles became a common sight in Manhattan, but it has become plagued with operational and financial problems.


Citi Bike program is feeling blue after departure of manager Justin Ginsburgh.David Handschuh/New York Daily News The Citi Bike program is feeling blue after Ginsburgh’s departure.

As The News reported Monday, the company operating the Citi Bikes, Bike Share NYC, has repeatedly failed to meet several monthly performance standards in its contract with the city.


And The Wall Street Journal reported that the program was losing money and was seeking to raise tens of millions of dollars to stay in business.


Mayor de Blasio has ruled out a city bailout, but it is possible the city might allow the operator to raise its fees, including the $ 95 cost of an annual membership.


City officials and transportation advocates have blamed the problems on senior management of Alta Bicycle Share, the parent company of NYC Bicycle Share. Alta is based in Portland, Ore.


NYC PAPERS OUT. Social media use restricted to low res file max 184 x 128 pixels and 72 dpiChase Guttman Bike Share NYC, the company operating the Citi Bikes, has been failing to meet monthly performance standards.

Ginsburgh left his job as chief of staff at the state’s Economic Development Corp. to join NYC Bicycle Share, and he oversaw the launch of the program as its general manager.


He did not return requests for comment about his departure.


Eddie Inlow, the chief operating officer of Alta Bicycle Share, will step into Ginsburgh’s role while the company conducts a national search for a replacement.


Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg said, “We remain committed to working with the system’s operator to address its financial and operational issues to ensure it meets the needs of its riders going forward.”





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