Idea: Always Offer Low-assist option for eBikes (next-gen)
As many riders know, the low-assist mode for next-gen eBikes is only available if there are no classic/acoustic bikes at the station. When you then scan the eBike using the app you choose between low assist and full assist. Citi Bike ought to offer the option of low assist for next-gen eBikesregardless of the presence of a classic/acoustic bike to accommodate. If you agree with this idea, please like this post to show your interest to the Bike Angel team. For me there are two reasons why I'd like to see this: Classic bikes have seats that don't go high enough for riders 6'1 or taller which can lead to knee pain for long or uphill rides. Next-gen bikes allow for the seat to move higher but more often than not I have to pay for this privilege because there are classic bikes at the station. On more than one occasion I don't get the pedal assist option for eBikes because there's one classic bike at a broken dock that can't be removed so I'm forced to pay for a full power eBike ride when I don't want to/shouldn't have to. To streamline the experience, this should be an opt-in option so that full-assist riders used to scanning and riding aren't burdoned by having to choose full-assist each time. Lastly, in conjunction with this idea, please offer users the pedal assist preference via the iPhone and Android apps (under Settings). For some reason it is only offered via https://account.citibikenyc.com/profile after logging into your account making it frustrating and confusing for riders who primarily use the app and can't find anywhere to update their preference:
IDEA - incentive for moving eBikes
Somebody posted that there is no incentive to move ebikes. I had an idea this morning for how to create an incentive. The algo could be optimized such that Citibike could recognize situations where Dock A was ebike heavy, but Dock B had few or no ebikes. Since it improves the network to more evenly distribute ebikes, the algo could temporarily "toggle off" all regular bikes at Dock A making them out of service -- which would create an incentive for Bike Angels to move an ebike in low-pedal assist mode (free) from Dock A. Since Dock B nearby had vacancies, BAs should spot that opportunity and move the ebike. Once Dock B got enough ebikes, Citibike could "toggle on" the regular bikes at Dock A, and return to normal system function. The only people who would be mad about this algo modification are non-BA users who go to Dock A hoping/expecting to use a pedal bike, but find none available. On the other hand, for every person who is upset at Dock A, there is probably a person who goes to Dock B hoping to find an ebike and is delighted to find one (assuming a BA moved an ebike there), so on balance, as far as user experience goes, this algo change should be more or less neutral over time.Improve the Citi Bike Map
Problem: In the Citi Bike map (in the app) it is almost impossible to tell traffic flow direction for streets when browsing the map, an arguably important piece of information when biking in NYC. Similarly, reading street names is just as hard with them only appearing if you zoom in almost all the way! The green bike lane lines cover the street arrows which indicate the direction of traffic (I've circled two arrows that are being covered). Also, only two street name labels are showing here: Suggestions: Make it easier to see the traffic flow arrows by either making the direction arrows easier to see (change color, size, etc) or allow users to toggle the green bike lane overlay on the map on and off Make it easier to see/read street names and prioritize them over places of interest Add a toggle to show/hide places of interest on the map (restaurants, hotels, stores, etc) Lastly, an argument against improving the current experience might be to user the "directions" feature which will give you a correct route but to that I say that sometimes we just want to do an ad-hoc bike ride. Secondly, bike angels (like me) would love to better see street names and traffic flow directions I don't really use the directions feature because there's no way to simply put a pin on the map or tap on a station as your start and end address; we must type in the address which is time-consuming.Algo limitations downtown
I'm new to point farming but enjoy the gamified aspect. I've noticed that the algo does well in Midtown and UES at showing opportunities for local rebalancing, presumably because local supply/demand varies. Bike Angels on streaks can help here. But downtown, the supply/demand imbalance often seems regional, with literally ALL docks showing the same imbalance. (For example, early mornings) When this happens, Bike Angels have no incentive to work, and bikes will only be repositioned by long-haul riders, who almost by definition are not point farmers. Does Citibike understand why this regional asymmetry exist? Can it be solved, perhaps by off-hour en masse moves to create local imbalances?Divvy Cash for Points Please
Thank you. Please, implement Divvy points for cash as is available in some other markets. Please, would someone here with the ability to forward, request, argue, beg, the people who make Lyft decisions make this happen. Thank you. In a few days I banked enough points for a years worth of membership extensions. Since those days, I have not been on a Divvy Bike Angels ride. Sure, not much different than just riding for 80pts a month, but if there was a cash incentive, or some other options to redeem Lyft credits, I'd be out redistributing bikes everyday. Just saying. Thank you.Help! Major Divvy Fail
Major Divvy Fail Navy Pier, Chicago's top tourist attraction, is showing Pickup and 150 bikes But there are zero bikes there! And, because Lyft has the station at +6 points for PICKUPS, no Angels will be feeding, redistributing bikes to the station. NO. 1 tourist attraction on Sunday , the day of the NASCAR Race. Yes people are looking for bikes. Major fail
Addressing Service Disparities in Citi Bike: A Personal Perspective from Eastern Queens
The NYC Comptroller's office recently published a report titled "Riding Forward: Overhauling Citi Bike’s Contract for Better, More Equitable Service" highlighting performance disparities within the Citi Bike program. One key issue identified is the disparity in service levels between the Manhattan core and the outer boroughs, particularly in neighborhoods predominantly inhabited by Black and Hispanic residents. I want to share my personal experience supporting this issue. As a frequent rider starting in eastern Queens, I often encounter a lack of available dock space at nearby stations. Unlike the midtown commuting stations, which are regularly drained and repopulated, these stations remain perpetually full. This morning's view is a case in point: Many stations are completely full, which artificially suppresses demand as it becomes impossible to dock bikes. Additionally, some stations show 1 or 2 available docks on the app, but in reality, they are also full, misleading the algorithm and exacerbating the problem. I downloaded the real-time GBFS status at 6 AM this morning and examined a random station (99 St & 38 Ave) as a boundary. There are 51 stations to the east of this station, 19 of which are completely full (excluding stations falsely showing 1 or 2 available docks). That's 37% of stations being unusable, far exceeding the 2% or 4% requirement per Citi Bike's contract with the City. If I explored further, this percentage could easily rise to 50%. These 19 full stations have 411 bikes docked. These bikes are underutilized compared to others. By redistributing just half of these bikes (around 200) to Manhattan, we could potentially increase revenue by $36,000 per month (based on May 2024 figures). This issue is not isolated to Queens; Red Hook, lower Manhattan, and other outer boroughs face similar neglect. We're likely missing out on hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue due to inefficient bike usage. Additionally, addressing this problem could help avoid potential penalties. Citi Bike uses a combination of trucks, treks, and Angels to rebalance bikes, but this effort seems absent in my neighborhood. Community outreach to increase usage is futile if Citi Bike remains unusable for these residents. One possible solution is to adjust the Angel reward program to prioritize redistributing bikes from congested areas. However, the current point system incentivizes Angels to work in Manhattan, where they can earn 12-15 points by moving bikes a few blocks, as opposed to half a mile or more in congested areas. I would love to hear from the program managers at Citi Bike about their thoughts on this issue and potential solutions to address it.If Lyft's Objective is to redistribute bikes ...
Then reinstate/start an award for the most points in a month. It doesn't have to be something big, just an incentive to push ahead of the top spot holder. That perk alone could move a proportionally higher number of bikes, especially towards the end of the month. The "Bank" was a great innovation to the Bike Angels program. Please, continue with more Divvy needs a Points for Cash option, and some accommodation$$ for moving abandoned eBikes Abandoned eBikes are often quite a distance from a dock That's more money for little points Thank you
Citibike Service Going Downhill?
Anyone else notice that Citibike is getting even worse? I rode to a conference midtown today and within ~20 minutes got to a station to find that all docks were full. I went to a nearby station that had open docks that were broken. I then went to a third station that also had open docks that were broken. I’m now desperately late for my conference and couldn’t wait any longer. I left the bike in the open dock and tried reaching out to help, only to get threatened that I would be responsible for the bike if it didn’t find its way back into the system. I went back to get it, missing my conference, couldn’t find a dock for a really long time, and then they charged me for being late, when it was entirely their fault. I reached out to “help” and they refused to give me a refund. It’s like their business plan is to intentionally make customers late so they can extract money from us! How bad will NYC DOT let them get?
