Is Citi Bike Worth It?

Is Citi Bike Worth It?

At this point, if you live in Brooklyn or Manhattan south of Central Park, you have likely seen one of the many Citi Bike Stations that have popped up over the last month.  New York City agreed to take part in a Bike Share program a little over a year and a half ago, and we are now a few short weeks from it becoming a reality.  When I first heard about the idea of a Bike Share in NYC, I honestly had no real opinion of it.  I have a bike that I use regularly so why should I opt into paying for a bike I can only use sometimes?  However, once I saw that this was actually happening and there is a Citi Bike station a block away from my apartment, I decided to look into the logistics of it further.  The program is not really geared towards long rides (I mean, look at them! Not the sexiest of road bikes).  Before additional fees roll in, you basically have the bike to use for anywhere from 30 mins to 45 mins, depending on what plan you purchase.  That really is not a lot of time, but it’s price structure might lend itself to being a viable transportation option.

Basically there are three payment tiers available for the program:

1.) 24 Hour Day Pass ($9.95 + tax): I would call this the “tourist” plan.  10 bucks for one day of bike usage does not really seem to be all that expensive, but considering you only get 30 mins of usage at a time before incurring late fees on a sliding scale from $4-$12 dollars for every 30 mins past the alloted time, this is not really cost effective.  I would guess this plan was designed with tourists in mind.  They will likely rent the bikes and go riding around for hours on end without really thinking about the fees.  If you come to NY to do tourist stuff, you are probably ok with throwing money away.

2.) 7 Day Pass ($25 + tax): While this plan certainly offers you more value, it still has the same late fee structure and 30 min biking window.  I think this plan would probably be best for the person who is considering the logistics of doing the bike share regularly.  It’s not all that prohibitive if you stick to the 30 min travel windows, and if you do not use it each of the 7 days, you really didn’t spend that much to begin with.

3.) Annual Membership ($95 + tax): I think this is the best option.  You pay a little over $100 after taxes to have access to the Bike Share for the entire year.  You will get a unique barcode key mailed to you when you sign up that can be used to pickup bikes.  For both the 24 Hour and 7 Day options, you will have to print out a unique receipt that will scan and release a new bike.  Where I think the annual membership really shows its value is in the fact that you get 45 mins to travel per ride, as opposed to the 30 mins for the other options.  In addition to having those extra 15 mins, the late fee structure is also a bit more friendly.  The late fee sliding scale ranges from $2.50-$9, after the first 45 mins.

Looking at the logistics at first I was turned off by the limited amounts of time you would be able to have the bike.  The prices were fine in my eyes for NYC standards, but as a fan of biking, I felt that is not enough time.  However, when looking into the thought behind 30-45 min increments, I can say it makes sense.  This program will not work if there are not plenty of bikes to choose from at a given bike stations.  Having a limited amount of time to use the bike ensures far more frequent turnover at each station.  Also, they are promoting the bike share as a quick and easy mode of transport, not a fun way to leisurely stroll about (though you can if you want).  So I get the punitive nature to having a bike out longer than the allotted time.  If you really do want to ride longer than 30-45 mins, you can still do that in an affordable fashion.  As long as you are smart and you plan to drop off a bike before the time limit, you can just pick up another bike and continue on your merry way.  If you are too lazy to do that, you should probably just buy a bike.

One of the best features however about Citi Bike will definitely be the Citi Bike App which is currently in development.  The app will enable you find one of the 600 Citi Bike Stations on your phone, and plan out a quick bike route using bike lanes and the safest streets to get home or to any restaurant, business etc.   The app will also let you know the bike inventory of any station, so you are not stuck heading to a station that either has no bikes, or has no room to drop off a bike.  It appears as though the app is going to be a definite must for an avid Citi Bike user.  It will keep you from getting stuck trying to drop off a bike, where there is no room to do so.  However, lets say you forget your phone at home and try to drop a bike off at a full station.  Simply to go the kiosk and request 15 more minutes, and you will get a free 15 mins to drop off your bike at another kiosk.  This already sounds like a very user friendly process.

I walk, I bike, and I drive, and I know most pedestrians and drivers hate bikers.  I get why to some degree.  Bikers can barrel through a pedestrian, and are serious hazards on a busy road full of cars.  However biking is fun, healthy, efficient, and environmentally friendly.  In Brooklyn, I have found I can get around faster on a bike (by blowing through stop lights) than driving, or taking the train sometimes.  If more people take to the Citi Bike idea, imagine what that does to the overall constant gridlock traffic issues in NYC.  It might not reduce traffic by a large percentage, but it can definitely help, and maybe the next time we have a Hurricane Sandy, or other freak devastation, being without gas wont cripple us.  Again, I bike quite a bit, but I would still buy the annual membership purely because the benefits outweigh the costs.  I hate paying for cabs, so Citi Bike can be my new cab.  I also hate going out at night and knowing I have to take the train home or walk a far distance.  Citi Bike can step in and become another option.  This is New York City, we like our options.  If this option comes at the cost of losing  around 1,200 parking spots all over the city, I think it’s well worth it.

For more information about Citi Bike check the website here!

Comments

3 Comments

  1. Thanks for detailing this. I was very curious how they’d roll it out. I don’t understand the limited ride time thing though.

    Reply
    • Well I guess the thought is you should be able to pick up a bike whenever you feel like it and go. But if they didn’t have a limited time attached, people would keep the bikes out for a long time and then it wouldn’t be as easy for you to just go and get one without a lot of crazy searching. I think it would be a little better to have the ride times go to at least 1 hour. You have to plan the service for a below average biker in my mind.

      Reply
  2. The reason for the limit is these bikes are meant to increase the number of people commuting by bike not exercising or taking leisurely rides.

    Reply

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