Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Bicycling

Citi Bike Ridership Begins to Climb Out of Its Slump

Summer sales and ridership numbers show Citi Bike, at last, is on the rebound.

Let the good times roll: DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg, left, and Motivate CEO Jay Walder, right. Photo: NYC DOT/Flickr
DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg, left, and Motivate CEO Jay Walder, right. Photo: NYC DOT/Flickr
Let the good times roll: DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg, left, and Motivate CEO Jay Walder, right. Photo: NYC DOT/Flickr

The bike-share program grew by leaps and bounds as New Yorkers embraced it immediately after the May 2013 launch, but before long, subscribers grew frustrated with unreliable service caused by buggy software and other operational problems. Sales and ridership slumped.

In fiscal year 2015, which ended June 30, Citi Bike annual memberships fell to 73,369, down 21 percent from the year before, according to the Mayor's Management Report. The total number of trips also fell to 8.8 million, down from 9.4 million. City Hall attributed the declines to "harsh winter weather" and a jump in annual membership fees, from $95 to $149 last October.

Now, upgrades under new ownership -- including back-end software fixes, a redesigned bike, a new docking mechanism, and app upgrades -- appear to be paying dividends. Since July, ridership and subscriptions have been turning around. The size of the system has also been growing, but the positive trends predate the addition of stations.

In July, before stations were added, ridership hit a daily average of 35,960 trips, a 5 percent increase over July 2014. Citi Bike also sold more day and week passes this July than last July -- a healthy sign.

In August, Citi Bike began adding new stations, a process that's still underway. The growth has helped boost ridership to record highs. In the peak months of July, August and September, Citi Bike's highest daily ridership in 2013 was 44,284. That number fell to 41,996 in 2014. Now, that number has reached a new benchmark: Citi Bike reports hitting more than 50,000 trips per day in mid-September.

It's too early to say how the system expansion above 59th Street is faring, however. On the Upper West Side and Upper East Side, the stations aren't as close together as the rest of the system, which threatens to degrade the user experience and curtail ridership. There are still about a dozen stations in those neighborhoods that are supposed to be added this year but haven't gone in yet, making it impossible to assess how the thinner station network is performing so far.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Hit-and-Run Driver Kills Pedestrian on Bedford Av. Hours Before Long-Stalled Safety Redesign Begins

The driver was traveling so quickly that the victim was tossed high in the air before landing back on the car hood and being tossed to the side of the road as the killer drove off.

October 11, 2024

Manhattanites To DOT: Open Queensboro Bridge Pedestrian Path ‘Without Delay’

"It’s really inappropriate for the DOT to delay," said one member of Manhattan Community Board 6.

October 11, 2024

Council Seeks to Force DOT to Build 175 E-Bike Charging Hubs 

A new bill would force the DOT to build over 100 charging hubs, but will it be enough to keep up with demand?

October 11, 2024

Friday Video: A Vision for West 72nd Street

Maybe someday, a roadway that devotes 88 percent of its space to a tiny minority of users (drivers) could finally work for everyone. We can dream, can't we?

October 11, 2024

Friday’s Headlines: Yes, We Will Mention the Yankees Edition

We are praying for the first Subway Series since 2000. Plus other news.

October 11, 2024
See all posts