Don't renew your CitiBike membership!

From the Daily News:

Over the 10 months since Citi Bike debuted, more than 97,000 riders forked over $95 for a yearly permit to pedal the blue bikes.

In exchange, they have gotten lousy treatment from a mismanaged company that is going broke and planning to ask for either a rate hike or taxpayer support.

Under Mayor Bloomberg and now Mayor de Blasio, the Department of Transportation has been ineffectual in forcing Bike Share NYC to get its act together.

DOT refuses, for example, to voice anything but muted criticism, despite knowing how badly the secretive bicycle rental agent is performing.

The company’s monthly reports, filed with the city and made public for the first time by the Daily News, certify its failures:

When curbside rental docks break down, the company must repair 99% of the inoperable stations within 48 hours. It August, it reported getting to just 64%.

In January, Bike Share NYC reported fixing just 50% of docks in 48 hours, and taking care of just 37% of vandalized bicycles within 96 hours, compared with the 98% the contract demands.

Plainly, New York has ceded control of an expanding mode of street transportation to a troubled, unaccountable monopoly.

The city could fine Bike Share NYC, but that would deepen its ills. Or the city could try to boot Bike Share NYC, but that would likely bring the bikes to a halt pending arrival of a new operator.

That’s why Citi Bikers — who have been vocal about the system’s hassles online — must take matters onto their own handlebars. We suggest using the Twitter hashtag #fixcitibike to convey the message: no upgrades, no renewals.

CitiBike bankrupt; City Council wants bailout

From the Daily News:

The financially troubled company running the city’s bike rental program is considering raising its rates so it can stay afloat, new Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg said Thursday.

“We’re talking to them,” Trottenberg told the Daily News at City Hall after testifying before the City Council’s transportation committee. “I would put it this way — all options are on the table. I think everyone agrees it turned out to be a real bargain for New Yorkers, who used the system twice as much as users of other cities.”

A hallmark of the Bloomberg administration, Citi Bike launched in May with numerous docking stations in Manhattan south of 96th St. and in parts of Brooklyn. Right from the start it was wildly popular — there were 80,000 annual members in just three months, exceeding expectations — but former Mayor Bloomberg conceded in October that the operator was not making a profit.

Citi Bike annual membership costs $95, which allows a user to make an unlimited number of 45-minute trips. A 7-day pass costs $25, while the daily variety goes for $9.95.

Many neighborhoods have been clamoring for installation of Citibike stations, but it’s unclear when the system will expand, officials said.

“It’s not going to be in the immediate future, but we’re going to see if we can figure out the financial and operational issues and set them on a good path,” Trottenberg said.

At Thursday’s hearing, some committee members said Citi Bike has become part of the city’s transportation infrastructure and warrants government subsidies.

“To achieve full build out and go to the neighborhoods we want to go to, I think it’s going to take public funds,” Councilman Rory Lancman (D-Queens) said.

And does Rory have CitiBike in his district? No. So why does he think it's such a great idea to fund a failing program? How about letting CitiBank pay for the increased cost since they are getting free advertising from it and got a very generous bailout from us schmucky taxpayers in the not-too-distant past?