Citi Bike riders will soon need to verify they’re 16 or older in order to use the service, according to city officials.
Lyft, the ride-sharing company that operates Citi Bike, agreed to start using age verification after a written request from First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro on Aug. 12, according to letters provided by City Hall. Citi Bike’s rules require riders to be 16 or older.
“As we mentioned in our previous exchanges, safety is our top priority, which extends to ensuring that Citi Bike riders meet our minimum age of 16 years,” Michael Brous, president and CEO of Lyft Urban Solutions, wrote in a letter on Friday. “In the spirit of continued partnership, we are willing to comply with your instruction to implement an age verification step for Citi Bike riders.”
Brous added in his letter that implementing age verification will be “complex,” requiring multiple steps including evaluating and negotiating with vendors, as well as taking steps to protect user privacy. He said in the letter that he expects the process to take three months.
AmNewYork first reported the development, which comes after the maximum speed of Citi Bike’s e-bikes was restricted to 15 mph following a demand from the Adams administration in June.
“Safety is our top priority,” Citi Bike General Manager Patrick Knoth said in a statement. “We’ll work with the First Deputy Mayor’s office to implement an age verification option that minimizes friction for riders while helping prevent underage riders from accessing the program.”
“We are pleased Lyft is responding to our public safety concern that it enforce its own rules limiting Citi Bike drivers to those age 16 and above,” Mastro said in a statement. “Mayor Adams will always protect New Yorkers’ safety, especially the safety of our children, and this is also a quality of life issue, ensuring safer, more responsible e-bike use on our city’s bike lanes. We appreciate Lyft’s swift response.”
In his Aug. 12 letter to Lyft CEO David Risher, Mastro suggested the company consider using proof of a driver’s license or learner’s permit as an age verification mechanism.
“The dangers of underage use are compounded by these riders’ frequent failure to use proper safety equipment,” Mastro wrote. He later added: “In the absence of prompt action on your part to address this public safety issue, we will pursue appropriate steps to remedy the situation.”
Mastro’s letter mentioned a New York Daily News op-ed published last week by Bradley Tusk, a New York City-based venture capitalist and political consultant, calling on Lyft to add an age verification mechanism on Citi Bikes.
“This may not be the biggest issue facing New York but as a parent, I know how much I worry and I know how important this is,” Tusk said in a statement. “Today’s announcement will save lives. It will save families from heartbreak. It will save teenagers from their own bad judgment. It’s a good day for New York.”
Bicycle collision rates have remained fairly steady, with about 2,500 collisions so far this year, and around the same amount this time last year, according to NYPD traffic data. But e-bike collisions are on the rise. There were 480 collisions this year, compared to 369 this time last year, representing a 30.1% increase.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
