City Hall, NY-Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, the Chair of the Committee on Environmental Protection, Council Member Donovan Richards, and James Meeks, CEO of MOVE Systems, announced today a new pilot to provide 500 state-of-the-art eco-friendly food carts to vendors throughout New York City neighborhoods. ‎Joined by local street vendors and supporters, MOVE Systems unveiled the new carts, which are designed to increase safety, provide clean food preparation, and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions from food carts. Joining the Council and MOVE Systems were Frank Bisignaro, CEO of First Data and Sean Basinski, Senior Vice President of the Street Vendor Project.

“As a strong supporter of our city’s street vendors, I am pleased to join MOVE Systems today as they announce this innovative pilot program,” said Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito. “Small business owners like food cart vendors, are the backbone of New York City’s economy and the fabric of our neighborhoods. I look forward to seeing the results of this pilot and thank MOVE Systems for this important effort.”

“I’m thrilled that we can support the food cart entrepreneurs – many of whom are our veterans – while making tangible environmental and safety improvements throughout our communities. MOVE is pleased to join the City Council and New York street vendors to introduce a new fleet of food carts that deliver more varied cuisine in a cleaner and safer environment,” said James Meeks, President and CEO of MOVE Systems.

The national environmental group Energy Vision today released a report assessing the impacts of New York City’s existing food cart fleet versus MOVE Systems new MRV100. According to the report, each MRV100 reduces climate change gases by 60% and smog-causing NOx pollution by 95% thereby taking the pollution equivalent of nearly 200 cars off the road.

“New Yorkers encounter air pollution every day and in some communities like mine, there is an undeniable direct correlation to some of the highest asthma rates in the country. I’m pleased that the carts being provided will reduce emissions, improve air quality and increase safety on our streets,” said Councilman Donovan Richards, who chairs the Environmental Conservation Committee.

First Data, a global leader in payment technology and services solutions, provides cutting-edge technology to the MRV100. “First Data is proud to partner with MOVE Systems to provide mobile food vendors with the innovative technology necessary to grow their businesses,” said Dan Charron, Executive Vice President, Global Business Solutions at First Data. “We are particularly honored to support the 100 veteran entrepreneurs who are building their food cart businesses with the help of First Data business solutions.” Every MRV100 comes equipped with First Data’s state-of-the-art Clover mobile technology, a powerful point-of-sale (POS) business solution.
The MRV100 incorporates a federally certified heavy-duty fuel tank and low emission CNG to achieve the highest environmental and safety standards. “Being the fuel provider to MOVE’s cleaner, safer vehicles is an honor for Clean Energy,” said Peter Grace, Senior Vice President of Sales at Clean Energy Fuels. “Everyone is a winner with the launch of these eco-friendly vehicles, especially New Yorkers who love their food carts.” Clean Energy Fuels is the leading provider of natural gas fuel for transportation in North America. First Data and Clean Energy Fuels are both investors in MOVE Systems.
New York City has nearly 8,000 food carts and trucks operating on its streets resulting in an estimated 1.2 million daily mobile food transactions. The typical food cart uses propane, a highly combustible fuel. The City has already experienced food truck and cart fires, including an incident in 2011 that caused the temporary shutdown of the West Side Highway.

The MRV100 vending vehicle included a restaurant-grade kitchen with refrigeration and a sustainable energy system that utilizes solar power, alternative fuel, and plug-in hybrid technology. Each cart will be modeled after a stationary kitchen and will be equipped with refrigeration and sink for proper food preparation.

The average cost of a basic food cart is between $15, 000 to nearly $25,000. MOVE Systems is providing the carts at no cost to the first 500 vendors who sign up to switch to the new model.

For more information about MOVE Systems and to learn how to obtain an eco-friendly food cart, please visit: https://www.movesystems.com/

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