Wednesday’s Headlines: Bumbling On About Bike-Share Edition

Huh? Mayor Adams said on Tuesday that he “wasn’t aware” that Lyft had hiked Citi Bike rates twice this year — and then a member of his administration opened the door to public subsidies for the service, re-upping a long-dormant 2021 campaign promise.

If it’s confusing, let’s go back in time:

Adams ran on public subsidies for Citi Bike back in 2021, but the idea hasn’t gone anywhere in the nearly three years since he became mayor. A recent study by the state Energy Research and Development Authority found unlocking state transportation subsidies for the service would net New York City’s bike-share $51 million. On Tuesday, Deputy Mayor Meera Joshi indicated government money could be in store for the next phase of Citi Bike expansion.

“We are in phase III,” Joshi said, referring to a Citi Bike expansion that will end this year. “And if we are to extend the program to phase IV, I think subsidy is something that has to be part of that discussion.”

That money could help bring bike-share to more parts of the city where it may not make economic sense for Lyft to invest. It could also help lower costs — an annual membership costs $219.99, which unlocks free bike rides unless you want to take one of Citi Bike’s extremely popular e-bikes. For that, even members have to pay 24 cents per minute — which adds up to $7.20 for a half-hour. (Hell Gate recently reported that the Citi Bike fees are too damn high.)

That money goes to a private company, Lyft, which public records show scored a profit on Citi Bike in four of the first six months of 2024. (Correction: Public data only discloses Citi Bike revenues, but not expenses.)

For now, the city is banking on wishful thinking: Lyft’s price hikes put it just at the fare cap that the city and company agreed on last year. Joshi claimed increased demand and “press about the kinds of rates that they’re charging” should pressure Lyft to lower costs, but Lyft’s obligation is to shareholders, not riders — and shareholders want the company’s bike-share investment to pay off.

In other news:

• If at first you don’t succeed (in a bus fare evasion crack down), try try again. (Gothamist)
• The mayor put up $1,000 for the reward fund to help catch the wrong-way hit-and-run driver who killed a groom-to-be on the eve of the victim’s wedding. (NY Post, Daily News)
• Bike lane and transit foe Randy Mastro had a doozy of a confirmation hearing for the role of Corporation Counsel. (NY Times)
• Drivers injured two cyclists in the span of 30 minutes on the Upper West Side on Tuesday. (Patch)
• The U.N. won’t help cover the cost of the next round of East River Greenway improvements, after all. (Crain’s)
• JFK AirTrain is effectively free-to-ride if you catch it at the right time, which air travelers say is most if not all of the time, thanks to the Port Authority’s bungled OMNY rollout. (Gothamist)
• A self-proclaimed “car addict” is suing the city over a noise ticket issued to his Lamborghini. (NY Post)
• Republican Rep. Mike Lawler is campaigning on a promise to scrap Mario Cuomo’s name off the the Tappan Zee Bridge. (Gothamist)
• And finally, VP candidate Tim Walz did an interview with “Subway Takes” — but not on the subway.