NEW ORLEANS – Sidewalk side or neutral ground side? Either way, get to your spot on the parade route without the hassles of fighting traffic and finding parking with Blue Bikes.
Blue Bikes, sponsored by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana, is a healthy, green, affordable way to experience New Orleans.
You can use Blue Bikes to make getting around during Mardi Gras part of the fun. Some advantages of Blue Bikes are:
Low cost -- You can ride Blue Bikes for only 10 cents a minute. Blue Bikes trips are cheaper than cabs and most ride-share services, and bike hubs are located along parade routes throughout New Orleans.
Lock Where You Stop – Ride to where the action is, then you can lock your Blue Bike at your destination. Blue Bikes can be picked up from and brought back to any hub, or you have the option to lock the bike to a public bike rack or to any fixed structure that isn’t on private property (like a sign post or utility pole). Riders should always lock Blue Bikes within the system area to avoid additional fees. Find an updated map of the system area at bluebikesnola.com or the Social Bicycles app.
Earn Account Credits — Unlock any out-of-hub bike and ride it back to a Blue Bikes hub, and you’ll get a $1 credit to your account. When getting ready to ride, use the Social Bicycles app to locate out-of-hub bikes nearby, and you may come out of Carnival with more ride credits than beads!
Reserve Early – You can put a Blue Bike on hold up to 20 minutes in advance, using the Social Bicycles app for Android or Apple devices. Guarantee that a bike will be waiting for you before and after the parade rolls.
Rent For A Group – If you have an existing monthly, university or pay-as-you-go Blue Bikes membership, you can rent up to six bikes at a time on your account. This is a great way to let your friends and family who are visiting for Mardi Gras use Blue Bikes. Simply enter your account number and pin on the keypads of the Blue Bikes you want to ride. Keep in mind that the membership time only applies to the first bike checked out; the other bike rides will be charged at 10 cents per minute.
Sign up for Blue Bikes at bluebikesnola.com or by downloading the Social Bicycles App from the Apple App Store or Google Play, and be ready to ride throughout Carnival season!
You will need to enter a valid credit card when creating a Blue Bikes account, which is where your ride time will be charged. There is a one-time $5 sign-up fee for new pay-as-you-go riders, which you must pay up front. After that, you will only be billed 10 cents per minute for your Blue Bikes trips.
There are several membership options for riders who want to use Blue Bikes regularly:
All Blue Bikes monthly or annual memberships give you an hour of ride time per day, which can be used in increments or all at once. Additional ride time is charged at 10 cents per minute.
For riders who qualify for the Reduced Fare membership, Blue Bikes has added a Pay Near Me option to pay in cash at participating locations. At this time, those locations are 7 Elevens, Family Dollar stores and CVS pharmacies. Visit www.bluebikesnola.com for more information on using Pay Near Me.
For more information on Blue Bikes memberships, to see the system map or to sign up, visit bluebikesnola.com. Riders can also follow Blue Bikes on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Email destinie@bluebikesnola.com to learn more about becoming a participating college/university.
About Blue Bikes
Blue Bikes is a fast, convenient and affordable transportation system for residents and visitors to move around New Orleans. The bike share program is a partnership among the City of New Orleans, Social Bicycles and title sponsor Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana. Sign up to ride at bluebikesnola.com.
About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana is committed to our mission to improve the health and lives of Louisianians. We invest both time and money in the communities we serve, supporting the health and wellbeing of Louisianians through more than 200 charitable organizations.
With our subsidiaries, HMO Louisiana and Southern National Life, we provide group and individual health insurance plans, life and disability insurance, group voluntary products and administrative services to one out of four Louisiana residents. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana also provides Medicare supplement and Medicare Advantage plans and is a partner in offering the Healthy Blue Medicaid Managed care plan. Louisiana is the only state where we operate, with offices in every major region to serve our customers.
Founded in New Orleans in 1934, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana is a tax-paying non-profit health insurer. We are a private mutual company, owned by our policyholders, with an independent Louisiana Board of Directors and no shareholders. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.
To learn more, visit our website at www.bcbsla.com.
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