You can now rent a Citi Bike through the Lyft app in NYC
Lyft users in New York and Jersey City can now rent a Citi Bike on the app. After some beta-testing with 20 percent of users, Lyft has now fully-integrated Citi Bike onto its mobile app. Lyft users won’t need a Citi Bike account to locate or rent a bike. The announcement comes nearly a year after Lyft bought Motivate, the company that owns Citi Bike, in a bid to become an all-purpose transportation company with options for cars, bikes and electric scooters. Lyft already operates bike-sharing programs in Washington, DC and the San Francisco Bay Area, so app integration with those cities is likely forthcoming.
You can check if a Citi Bike is close to you by looking at the “Nearby” section of the Lyft app on the homescreen. Tap the bike icon, select a station you’re close to, and then click “unlock a bike.” You’ll receive a five-digit code, which you’ll enter in a station’s dock to release the bike. Pricing starts at $3 for a single 30-minute trip on Citi Bike, and $12 for a full day pass.
Lyft and Uber have both made significant investments in bike sharing. Lyft paid $100 million to triple the number of Citi Bikes in NYC, making it the largest bike share system in the US. Back in April, Uber acquired Jump, a Brooklyn-based e-bike startup. The bikes are proving to be widely popular. In Sacramento, more riders are renting Jump bikes through the Uber app than cars. But the bikes also pose their own challenges. Lyft was forced to recall 2,500 e-bikes in NYC, DC, and San Francisco after some riders reported oversensitive front brakes that caused them to flip over the handlebar.
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