In a move that’s sure to affect many New Yorkers, Lyft has announced another increase in the fees for Citi Bike e-bike rides, marking the second hike this year. An e-bike ride in and out of Manhattan, will cost $4.80 — up from $4.36 now and $3.27 as recently as last year, the company said.
Starting July 10, the cost for annual members will rise, reflecting the company’s need to offset higher expenses related to battery swapping, insurance, and vehicle costs.
E-bike batteries are still swapped out manually by teams that drive around in trucks. In May, Lyft and the Department of Transportation opened the first Citi Bike station with docks directly plugged in to the power grid, a setup that allows e-bikes to get recharged while docked, which can reduce the costs of battery swapping and keep the bikes available to the public. A second station connected to the grid launched in Greenpoint in June.
Lyft and the DOT eventually aim to connect 20 percent of the system’s total stations to the power grid. However, the initiative has already been delayed, as it was supposed to begin late last year.
While e-bikes have become a popular and eco-friendly way to navigate the bustling streets of New York, the increased fees are frustrating users and might push some to reconsider their transportation options. One user complained on X that “In less than two years, Citi Bike prices have exploded. Member ebike rides alone have gone up more than 60% a minute, + the cap from boroughs to Manhattan has gone from $3.00 to $4.80. We desperately need City Council to step in + either subsidize costs or take over the system.”
The bike sharing program in New York City, unlike its counterparts in California and Washington D.C., receives no subsidies from the DOT. Mayor Eric Adams was one of five Democratic candidates in 2021 to endorse the idea of subsidies for bike share, but for three consecutive budgets he has not followed through on the idea.
A recent report from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority found that directing a fraction of a statewide mass transit subsidy to bike share could provide huge amounts of support to the systems across the state, including $51 million per year for Citi Bike.
