Citi Bike service worsens under Lyft's ownership, NYC comptroller report finds
New York City Comptroller Brad Lander has called for a revamp of the Citi Bike contract after a review found that the popular bike-sharing service has become less reliable since Lyft took over in 2018. The review revealed an increase in unusable stations and broken bikes, particularly in low-income neighborhoods and communities of color. Maintenance has decreased, with rebalancing moves dropping 80% since 2014. Citi Bike users in certain areas encountered stations with no bikes or out-of-service docks more than 20% of the time during peak hours. Lyft disputed some of the claims, stating that bike maintenance has not decreased and attributing low ridership in some areas to lower population density. The comptroller's report also criticized the city Department of Transportation for failing to enforce performance standards in the Citi Bike contract, resulting in uncollected fines against Lyft. Lander called for a new contract with Lyft, including neighborhood-level performance requirements, stronger enforcement, and expanded discounted membership for low-income riders.