Last Sunday Citi Bike hosted a sort of “kick the tires” preview event for the media at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. They had a bike share dock populated with bikes, as well as Citi Bike and DOT personnel on hand to answer questions (including a certain commissioner whose portrait you may have seen on this site). By now many New Yorkers have seen docking stations installed in Manhattan and parts of Brooklyn, but these are all devoid of bikes until closer to the May 27 launch date. Seeing a station populated by these clunky blue machines was pretty great – and it’s a sight we’ll soon see all over the city. New York is about to get a whole new transit system that even many of the current grumblers will grow to cherish.
A filled Citi Bike docking station
Annual members will be able to check a bike out with a key fob.
Citi Bikes’ Dani Simons demonstrates how to lift the bike out of the docking station.
…and demonstrates the sturdy kickstand with her red kicks
So simple, even a Daily News reporter could do it. In theory.
Annual members will have access to unlimited free rides under 45 minutes.
Customers with daily or weekly memberships will be able to ride for 30 minutes before incurring extra fees.
Once a bike is checked out, its front and rear lights flash automatically until it is docked again.