Citi Bike to hike rates for fifth straight year

nypost.com
People riding blue Citi Bikes on a sidewalk next to a row of parked bikes.
Stephen Yang for NY Post

CitiBike is jacking up its prices for the straight fifth year and partly blaming tariffs — demanding 41% higher membership rates and at least 240% more from casual cyclists since the program began in 2019.


Ride-share program members in the Big Apple will begin paying a yearly fee of $239 starting Jan. 28, or 41% more than six years ago.

People riding blue Citi Bikes on a sidewalk next to a row of parked bikes.

Citi Bike is hiking its prices for the bike-share program for the fifth year in a row starting in January. Stephen Yang for NY Post

The price hike is a 9% increase over last year’s costs.

As for non-members, a single 30-minute e-ride will now cost more than $17 — or 240% higher than the $5 it cost them in 2019.

The increases are heaping on to what have become annual cost hikes for users.

“This adjustment is necessary to manage increased operational expenses, including the impact of rising tariffs,” Citi Bike wrote in a statement.

“We absorbed the costs this year to continue to deliver the quality of service you expect, but we’re unable to shoulder them long term. We’re also making this adjustment due to rising costs in other areas such as insurance, service vehicles, and field staffing.”

Man on a Citi Bike with a white dog in a front carrier, riding past a brick building and a "ONE WAY" sign.

Annual members will pay roughly 9% more, or $239, starting Jan. 28. Michael Nagle for NY Post

The ride-share program’s parent company Lyft did not respond to a Post request for comment Tuesday on how exactly the US’s new tariffs are affecting its costs.

Public-transit advocates were quick to blast the increases, with Transportation Alternatives Director Ben Furnas calling Citi Bike now  “out of reach for too many.

“Biking should be an easy, safe, and affordable option for everyone — and demand shows New Yorkers want more bike share — but too many New Yorkers can’t afford to move around their own city,” he said in a statement.

“Increasing costs are unsustainable for everyday New Yorkers.” 

The price-hike announcement comes as a cost bump is set to go into effect for MTA straphangers, too.

A long row of blue Citi Bikes parked in their docks on a city street.

Transportation advocates say the program’s benefits are now “out of reach for too many.” Paul Martinka for NY Post

The subway fare increase goes into effect Jan. 4, with a single bus or subway trip jumping from $2.90 to $3.

Other 2026 Citi Bike changes include:

-Fees for e-bikes and traditional bikes for more than 45 minutes will now cost members in New York City 27 cents a minute, up from 25 cents. Non-members will see increases from 28 cents to 41 cents per minute.

-In New Jersey, the same fees will rise to 23 cents per minute for members and 35 cents per minute for non-members.

-The $4.99 bike unlock fee for non-members will remain the same.

-Members will still get unlimited 45-minute classic-bike rides.

-The fee cap for annual members will rise to $5.40 for 45-minute rides coming into or leaving Manhattan. 

Monthly memberships for reduced-fare members won’t budge from its current $5.

The last Citi Bike price increase came in January 2025, when its parent company increased its electric bikes from 24 to 25 cents per minute for members.

Six months before that, Lyft slammed riders with a 20% price increase.

Citi Bike said it will be focusing on adjusting “key areas” of its business in the new year, such as focusing on equipment upgrades to bikes and station equipment and an expansion to 250 new stations across the Bronx, Queens and Brooklyn.

“This adjustment reflects our continued investment in expanding Citi Bike to underserved neighborhoods and maintaining the largest bike share system in North America, without taxpayer subsidies,” said Patrick Knoth, Citi Bike’s general manager, in a statement.

“Since 2019, we’ve tripled the service area and fleet size while keeping our reduced-fare program at $5 per month.”