New Yorkers will be happy to see the electric Citi Bikes back on their streets soon. The service was suspended back in April because more than a few people were injured due to brakes of the pedal-assist bikes being too sensitive.
The announcement comes after the comeback of San Francisco’s Bay Wheels e-bikes, which were also pulled out of the streets due to some batteries catching fire.
Both these services are run by Motivate, a bike-sharing company owned by Lyft. The operator said it fixe the brake problems and is now working with a different battery supplier for all of its electric bikes.
“We’re sorry for the delay and appreciate your patience.” Citi Bike stated in a blog post.
“We expect to initially launch several hundred e-bikes this winter and will gradually ramp up to a larger fleet.” The New York bike-sharing company will no longer have the $2.00 flat fee required to use the service earlier in the year. “We heard your feedback,” Citi Bike said. “Members told us they did not want to pay a flat charge every time they chose an e-bike.”
The new pricing for renting an electric bike is $0.10 per minute for annual members and $0.15 per minute for non-members. Members charges will also get a cap of $2 for 45-minute rides or less that begin and/or end outside Manhattan.
The two minute wait period between rides will also be removed.
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