Saturday, January 2, 2016

2015 Citi Bike recap: 10 million-plus trips


[Photo from Dec. 15 on 7th and A by Derek Berg]

On Thursday afternoon, the 10 millionth trip was taken on a Citi Bike.

On this occasion, Mayor de Blasio and Citi Bike released a statement:

Ridership increased 24 percent in 2015 – including seven days in which ridership exceeded 50,000 trips, twice during the Papal visit in September.

Citi Bike has far and away the highest ridership volume of any bike share system in the nation, and is on par with the largest bike share systems in the Western hemisphere. There have been nearly 9 million trips taken on Mexico City’s similarly sized EcoBici bike share in 2015, and London’s larger Santander Cycle Hire was on pace for 9,943,074 trips in 2015.

As for the 10 millionth trip taker, he or she is receiving a free year of membership, plus three gift memberships to share with family and friends, per the statement.

27 comments:

Atomic Man said...

You believe that? They have rebalancers shutting bikes back and forth 24/7. And each move counts as a trip.

Remember when they stored thousands of bikes under the Williamsburg Bridge as a major snowstorm was bearing down on the city? Then, afterwards, they bragged of how many "trips" New Yorkers took during a blizzard.

Just more cherry-picked stats from the Department of Transportation Alternatives.

Anonymous said...

Is the citi Bike program finally turning a profit or at least no longer bankrupt?

Anonymous said...

I would LOVE to see the full data and not the spin.

Giovanni said...

This looks like just another CitiBike PR scam. No doubt the same people who are in charge of the NYPD CompStat crime statistics are also massaging the CitiBike data. As a matter of fact, right now there are so many CitiBikes being stolen that the NYPD is trying to figure out how to lower the book value of the stolen bikes just so that the police can reduce the number of felonies being reported in the CompStat system. The CitiBike program is still bleeding cash, but they needed a good headline before they deliver any more bad news. Via the NY Post:

NYPD wants to fix stats on stolen Citi Bikes: sources

There are so many Citi Bikes being stolen that the NYPD and the company that provides the vehicles are trying to figure out how to lower their value so that the thefts would be downgraded from felonies to misdemeanors, sources tell The Post.

The distinction is a significant one for cops because only felonies are included in the NYPD’s CompStat figures, which track seven major crime categories.

“It’s highly unethical and raises questions of fairness,” a law enforcement source said of the push to cut the bikes’ value.

“Citi Bike has a multimillion-dollar contract with the city, so of course they’re going to work with the police department,” the source added, but “this sends a bad message to the everyday police officer who is trying to evaluate criminal charges in a fair manner.”

The push comes as Citi Bike thefts have skyrocketed in the past year, with 476 reported stolen as of Friday, up from just 251 last year, according to NYPD data.

The bikes’ current listed value is $1,200 apiece, meaning they are recorded by the NYPD as felony grand larcenies. Thefts under $1,000 are considered misdemeanor petit larcenies.

Anonymous said...

They've had this problem with the docking stations not securing the bikes since day one. They still haven't fixed it?! Are riders charged for the stolen bikes?

Atomic Man said...

Gio, of course it's PR! And if you read between the lines, it's actually bad news.

Their annual subscribers are down from 100k to the low 80s and falling. So, even taking the inflated (due to constant rebalancing) trip numbers into account, that means that fewer paying customers are taking more rides. More wear and tear and maintenance to pay for, but less subscription fees coming in. Not exactly a winning business plan... Which is definitely why the only numbers they aren't constantly tweeting out are the ones that matter most - the bottom line.

All this PR is a calculated effort to portray a convenient perk for the 1% (80k/8mm) as a vital part of city life, in preparation for the inevitable day when we'll feel Citibike's blue hand reaching into our taxpayer's pockets.

Anonymous said...

It's just another government scam brought to you by the crooks at Havana-on-the-Hudson, a satrapy of Pyongyang-on-the-Potomac.
How many bike shops have been forced to close because of this?

Anonymous said...

Atomic Man,
lay off the bitter pills. Citi Bike a perk for the 1%? Not the last time I looked at my paycheck. I have commuted by bicycle since the last millenium, long before Citi Bike existed, and am now also a Citi Bike customer. Because there is statistical evidence of safety in numbers, this program has made our streets significantly safer, especially for cyclists, keeps people off the trains/cabs/Ubers, and because it's a physical activity you can get yourself a nice supply of endorphins, which may just change your outlook on life. You should give it a try.

Anonymous said...

7:59: "How many bike shops have been forced to close because of this?" - As far I know in the EV, none. However, rents have gone through for a number of bike stores forcing them to close. I can't imagine the business some people think those places would have gotten were it not for Citibike's existence would have made a damn bit of difference at the end of the day when you're face an insane rental increase. But I know - it's a huge conspiracy what with the 1%, Havana-on-the-Hudson, The Black Hand, Boba Fett, Tupac's Still alive, etc, etc, etc.

Anonymous said...

Citibike is immensely popular, get over it. What a bunch of cry babies.

Anonymous said...

Couldn't agree more (even while I hate Citibank).

And 7:59 PM "How many bike shops have been forced to close because of this?"

Same as the number of tire repair shops that are forced to close because the city working to fill street potholes. (boo-hoo)

Anonymous said...

Oh please, spare us your fake concern for the local bike shops. Do *you* use them, people complaining above?

My household bought 2 bikes, lots of accessories, and regularly services these bikes, all at local shops, because we got started biking around the city with the bike share system. Do I need to upload evidence?? Will I be accused of being a Citibike PR shill by all-knowing EV Grieve audience??

I live off Ave C and work on 1st Ave in the mid-50s. On a daily basis, Citibike saves me a ton of time commuting, instead of the crawling, overcrowded M15 bus or just walking or walking+subway. I find it sad that in our neighborhood, where in some areas you need 15/20 min just to walk to the subway, people are shitting on an alternative mode of transport.

By the way, EV residents are eligible for membership in the LES People's Credit Union, which comes with a discounted, $60 annual Citibike membership. So people like me are not only saving time, but also money on our commutes.

Anonymous said...

I'll never understand these bikes. They look stupid and people riding them look stupid as they pant and pedal these tanks down the street sweating like baboons. One percenters wouldn't be caught dead on these hover rounds, just the usual try hard faux urbanites. Move back to Sacramento.

Anonymous said...

11:44PM - Your comment is offensive to shvitzing baboons.

Anonymous said...

I know of at least two bike shops that have closed because of the stupid Citi bike program. How ugly are the huge Citi bikes? Plug ugly, that's how ugly.

Anonymous said...

Have you ever seen those nature documentaries where monkeys sitting in a tree chatter and a lion passing by beneath? The monkeys are Citibike haters, and the lion is life itself, passing them by.

Anonymous said...

What are people doing with the stolen bikes?

Anonymous said...

They are riding the bikes and flipping a big middle one at 9:44 AM.

Billsville said...

The stolen bike problem is just more mismanagement by CitiBike. They have so many abandoned bikes that have been reported stolen but don't bother to go after them because they can just charge your credit card the $1200. They have gps in every bike so they know exactly where the missing ones are located. So next time when you go looking for a bike and all the stations are empty, remember there are another 500 or so bikes sitting out there that could have been recovered and put back into the system.

Anonymous said...

@9:44 Yes, because lions, kings of the jungle, are exactly what I think of when I watch someone city nube with swamp ass trudge their way through midtown traffic on a CitiBike. How did you know?!?!

Anonymous said...

@9:07 Agreed. I've also purchased two bikes from CC Cyclery at $700 each plus accessories and visit when I need maintenance. If it weren't for Citibike, I would probably have never started biking in the city and now I can't even remember the last time I was crammed into a sardine can L Train car.

Anonymous said...

"Try hard faux urbanites?" "City nube?"
I know several people who have lived here for 20+ years and use Citibike. And not a single one of them is so self-absorbed that they give a shit what their rental bicycle looks like. They are obviously all motivated by efficient and cost-effective transportation, and some of them actually use it because it's environmentally friendly. Wow what a concept.
I don't use Citibike and probably never will because I'm just not a cyclist - and clearly this program has more problems that must be fixed. But good grief, all the bitching and the invented bike-riding enemies who should immediately "move back to Sacramento"....

Anonymous said...

Why use Citibike when you could buy a good second hand bike for $50 and park it in your back yard or on a side walk for the price of a chain and lock? If you need to rent there are bike shops that have rentals. I'd rather pay a small shop than I would Citibike.

Anonymous said...

You don't use CitiBike yet you took the time to write an online diatribe. What else do you not care about and defend?

Pope Edmund “Dubai (not Havana, not Pyongyang*) on the Hudson” Dunn said...

Even used in a proper way (true New Yorker (again, don't have to be born here to be one) to recent flyover state rube transient), the “move to” line should not be used and could be automatic excommunication from the EV. Also auto excommunication from the EV should follow for whoever uses the following lines:

“Get over it”
“Get a life”
“Get with it”
Any line with the word “haters”.

And as some one who had ridden forever here, Shitibikes suck. Period.

Makeout said...

@ Pope Edmund- Ha! As we say on the streets- "Haters gonna strongly dislike".

Anonymous said...

Pope Edmund of Falun Gong, your blue chariot awaits!