Councilman Rafael Salamanca Jr. and the shared electric vehicle company Revel announced today it is expanding to Fordham Road and adding 200 new mopeds to the borough’s streets.
Revel vehicles will now be available in Fordham Heights, Morris Heights, Mount Hope, Little Italy in Belmont, Crotona, West Farms, Claremont Village and Charlotte Gardens.
The new mopeds will be the first Revels in the country with a lighter blue design, intended to make them more visible on the road. Revel’s expanded Bronx fleet will offer residents a reliable, socially-distant way to get around as New York City continues with Phase 1 of its reopening.
“The Bronx has shown amazing resilience in surviving the peak of COVID-19 and coming back stronger than ever,” Salamanca said. “Now, with New York City starting to reopen and more people going back to work, we need to ensure that our communities feel safe and supported. A big part of this is making sure they have transportation options. Revel has become an integral part of our streets since coming here in April and I’m proud to help them grow into the Central Bronx.”
Revel’s service area in the Bronx now encompasses the West Bronx, Morris Heights, Fordham Heights and West Farms neighborhoods in the Central Bronx as well as all of the Highbridge, Morrisania, Melrose, Mott Haven and Hunts Point neighborhoods. Since Revel expanded into the Bronx on April 28, there have been over 25,000 trips that started or ended in the borough.
In addition to the Bronx, Revel’s New York City service area covers parts of Brooklyn, Queens and Manhattan. About 100 of the new lighter blue mopeds will also be deployed in Brooklyn and Queens.
“In the weeks since Revel first came to the South Bronx, demand has been off the charts and we’ve heard from so many users who love having a new way to get around,” said Frank Reig, CEO and co-founder of Revel. “Given this response, we decided together with Council Member Salamanca to expand up to Fordham Road. We’re excited to serve even more of the Bronx and debut our new moped design here.”
Riders can use Revel to travel between Manhattan and the Bronx, but they are not able to ride from Manhattan to Brooklyn or Queens per the company’s terms of service. Riders must end their rides within Revel’s service area, though they can pause their ride outside the service area as long as the Revel is parked in a legal parking space.
Revel will also continue to operate its Access program, allowing riders who are eligible for or actively participating in any local, state, or federal assistance programs to receive a 40 percent discount on rides. Active military and veterans will also be eligible to receive a 20 percent discount on rides.
Riders are encouraged to follow CDC recommendations and state or local guidance for preventing illness, such as frequent hand-washing before and after using Revel. Read more about Revel’s response to COVID-19 here.
