(November 22 2019)Last April several thousand pedal-assist electric bikes were taken from service after a number of people were injured due to harder-than-expected brakes.
Brakes are now fixed
Last April Citi Bike announced: "However, we recently received a small number of reports from riders who experienced stronger than expected braking force on the front wheel. Out of an abundance of caution, we are proactively removing the pedal-assist bikes from service for the time being. We know this is disappointing to the many people who love the current experience — but reliability and safety come first." The e-bikes were replaced with conventional pedal bikes.
Citi Bike claims it has redesigned the bike brake setup and also now has a different battery supplier. Citi Bike is operated by Motivate a national bike-share company that is in turn owned by Lyft the ride-hailing company.
Hundreds of e-bikes will appear at docking stations across New York beginning this winter.
In a blog post Citi Bike said: "We're sorry for the delay and appreciate your patience..We expect to initially launch several hundred bikes this winter and will gradually work up to a larger fleet>"
Citi Bike abandons flat fee
Citi Bike does away with its $2 flat fee for each use. Riders will be charged only for the time they use the bike. The company said: “We heard your feedback. Members told us they did not want to pay a flat charge every time they chose an e-bike.”
The new rate will be ten cents for each minute for annual members or a fifteen cents per minute charged for non-members. For members charges will be capped at $2 for rides 45 minute or less beginning and/or ending outside Manhattan. A two-minute wait period between rides is also gone.
E-bikes to return to San Francisco as well
The e-bikes were also withdrawn from San Francisco as well. Motivate also owns the e-bikes deployed there. A new agreement has been reached: "The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) today announced an agreement with Bay Wheels to provide 4,000 stationless shared e-bikes throughout San Francisco. Under the 4-year agreement, Lyft will begin to deploy 4,000 new e-bikes starting in December 2019 with full rollout by April 2020. The new e-bikes will work as "hybrids" that can be docked at stations but also locked to bike racks around the City. This stationless functionality will expand the reach of the system and provide citywide access to bikeshare."
Previously published in the Digital Journal
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