Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Bike Sharing

New Citi Bike Data on Individual Trips Shows How Bike-Share Links to Transit

5:35 PM EDT on March 31, 2014

Today, Citi Bike opened up a treasure trove of data on how people are using the system, giving the public access to details of individual trips, featuring information such as starting point, ending point, trip time, bike identification number, and anonymous information about the bike user, including gender, age, and whether the rider was  using a day, week or annual pass.

With today's news, Citi Bike has joined sister systems in Washington, Boston, and San Francisco in releasing data about individual bike-share trips, not just aggregate data on the total number of trips and members.

The data, from July 2013 to February 2014, gives the public an opportunity to look for patterns in how New Yorkers and tourists use bike-share. To prepare its release, Citi Bike worked with NYU's Rudin Center for Transportation Policy and Management, which got a head-start on analyzing the data.

"We got it about three weeks ago," said Sarah Kaufman of the Rudin Center. "September seemed to be the most interesting [month of data]," she said. "Everyone is going to work and school and the temperature is still temperate enough that people are still interested in biking."

Kaufman, along with Jeff Ferzoco of linepointpath and data visualization specialist Juan Francisco Saldarriaga, sorted through the data to create maps and animations.

Some patterns jumped out as the group began its work. First was the difference between annual members and riders using day or weekly passes. "The casual riders, they’re clearly tourists," Kaufman said. "They’re concentrated around the Brooklyn Bridge, the World Trade Center site, the bottom of Central Park.”

Another pattern that emerged: Late-night bike-share rides, especially on weekends and holidays, often involve pairs of riders going from the same starting place to the same destination within a minute or two of each other. “People are biking together," Kaufman said. "It’s interesting to see these Citi Bike couples."

Last September, spikes in unplanned MTA service disruptions coincided with increases in bike-share use. Image: Rudin Center
Last September, spikes in unplanned MTA service disruptions coincided with increases in bike-share usage. Image: Rudin Center
Last September, spikes in unplanned MTA service disruptions coincided with increases in bike-share use. Image: Rudin Center

A third pattern: a slight correlation between unplanned MTA service disruptions and Citi Bike ridership. "It shows the potential of Citi Bike to become really intricately interwoven into the New York City transportation landscape," Kaufman said.

Observational studies of Manhattan cyclists have shown that women make up a higher proportion of Citi Bike riders when compared to the cycling population at large. The data released by Citi Bike today includes gender information, and the group is working with WNYC on a project to look deeper at the age and gender demographics of Citi Bike users. "I think that’s going to be very interesting to dive into," Kaufman said.

Citi Bike is encouraging the public to share its creations and visualizations using the newly-released data with the #citibikedata hashtag. Each week for the next four weeks, Citi Bike will choose a favorite project and award its creator a free t-shirt. (Alta systems in other cities, including San Francisco and Chicago, have launched robust data challenges featuring a panel of judges.)

One set of data that's missing from today's release: GPS information. Unlike other systems, New York City bike-share is designed to include information on the routes its riders choose, not just their starting and ending points. Streetsblog asked Citi Bike if it is collecting this information and plans to release it. We'll let you know if we hear anything back.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Maximum Rage: Delivery Workers Protest Low Wages, App ‘Lockouts’

Couriers with bikes and signs urge the city to step in as Uber Eats, GrubHub and DoorDash withhold work, they say.

March 28, 2024

The Toll of History: MTA Board Approves $15 Congestion Pricing Fee

New York City's congestion pricing tolls are one historic step closer to reality after Wednesday's 11-1 MTA board vote. Next step: all those pesky lawsuits.

March 28, 2024

Company That Fought McGuinness Safety Project Wants to Seize Bklyn Street for Private Backlot

Broadway Stages to Greenpoint residents: "Street safety for me, not for thee."

March 28, 2024

SEE IT: Hit-and-Run Driver With Fake Plate Seriously Injures Cyclist

The 5 p.m. crash occurred at Flushing and Waverly avenue near the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

March 28, 2024

Thursday’s Headlines: Shakira Shakira Edition

Pop superstar Shakira performed for a crowd of 40,000 packed into the Times Square pedestrian plazas. Plus congestion pricing news and more.

March 28, 2024
See all posts