New York’s comptroller says Citi Bike service is lacking in low-income areas. Citi Bike disagrees

A report issued this week from New York City Comptroller Brad Lander found that Citi Bike faces “significant operational shortcomings” in the city, and determined that the problem is even worse in low-income neighborhoods and communities of color. But Lyft, which owns the bikeshare platform, said the report was unfair in its analysis and contained several inaccuracies.

Citi Bike, which allows consumers to rent bikes for short periods of time, has grown in popularity in recent years and has built out a massive network of manual and electric-powered bikes. But users across the city find they can’t return bikes because docking stations are full, while others aren’t able to rent bikes because the station nearest them hasn’t been replenished, Lander’s report said.

These issues are far worse in neighborhoods on the outer edges of the operating system, the report said. That means there are more empty stations and unusable bikes disproportionately affecting Black, Latino, and low-income residents, according to the findings. Riders in the Bronx, especially, are 89% more likely to encounter an unusable station than riders in the other boroughs in which Citi Bike operates, the report said.

“Citi Bike has grown to be a vital element of New York City’s transportation network, but Lyft’s failure to deliver reliable service across the system raises alarm bells,” Lander said in a statement released Wednesday.

The report claims that the city’s transportation department has failed to enforce the performance standards in Lyft’s contract, which “could have resulted in millions of dollars of fines against Lyft.” The analysis noted more than 11,000 instances in June and July of this year where stations were left completely empty or completely full for at least an hour.

“While the Comptroller had not shared the report with the agency before publication, we look forward to reviewing and exploring what is possible given the city’s fiscal challenges,” a NYC Department of Transportation spokesperson said in a statement.

Lyft rebutted many claims in the report. The company said in a response that in September and October, for example, the Bronx had the second highest access of all boroughs.

“Reliability is our highest priority, and we work hand-in-hand every day with our partners at DOT to ensure that Citi Bike can best meet the growing demands of all of our more than 1.5 million passionate riders. We look forward to reviewing the report and sitting down with Comptroller Lander to discuss his findings,” Lyft said in a response to the report.

https://www.fastcompany.com/90984006/new-yorks-comptroller-says-citi-bike-service-is-lacking-in-low-income-areas-citi-bike-disagrees?partner=rss&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=rss+fastcompany&utm_content=rss

Erstellt 2y | 18.11.2023, 13:40:08


Melden Sie sich an, um einen Kommentar hinzuzufügen

Andere Beiträge in dieser Gruppe

Linda Yaccarino was supposed to tame X. Elon Musk wouldn’t let her

Some news stories are gobsmackingly obvious in their importance. Others are complete nonstories. So what to make of the

09.07.2025, 19:10:07 | Fast company - tech
Apple’s next CEO: A new look at Tim Cook’s potential successors after latest exec shakeup

Yesterday, Apple unexpectedly announced the most radical shakeup to its C-suite in years. The company revealed that Jeff Williams, its current chief operating officer (COO), will be departing the

09.07.2025, 16:40:09 | Fast company - tech
PBS chief Paula Kerger warns public broadcasting could collapse in small communities if Congress strips federal funding

As Congress moves to make massive cuts to public broadcasting this week, Paula Kerger, president and CEO of the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), gives an unflinching look at the organization’s f

09.07.2025, 14:30:04 | Fast company - tech
These personality types are most likely to cheat using AI

As recent graduates proudly showcase their use of ChatGPT for final projects, some may wonder: What kind of person turns to

09.07.2025, 14:30:04 | Fast company - tech
Samsung fixed everything you hated about foldable phones—except the price

Just over a month ago, Samsung did something strange to start hyping up its next foldable phone announcements.

Those phones, which Samsung revealed today, are officially called the Samsu

09.07.2025, 14:30:04 | Fast company - tech