Lyft boosted its Citi Bike prices Monday — just as they’re set to make a killing off of congestion pricing they lobbied for.
The bike rental service made the decision to raise rates again, less than six months after its parent company, Lyft, slammed riders with a 20% increase.
The latest pinch comes a day after the MTA and Gov. Kathy Hochul rolled out congestion pricing in Manhattan — costing Big Apple commuters $9 to drive below 60th Street.
Lyft and Uber reportedly pushed hard for the toll and stand to be big winners — pouring millions into lobbying city and state officials to approve the controversial plan.
Citi Bike increased its electric bikes from 24 to 25 cents per minute for members Monday, and the cap for e-bike rides that run 45 minutes or less and enter or exit Manhattan rose to $5 (all other e-bike rides are now 25 cents per minute and uncapped, the company said).
Single-ride passes for non-members increased from $4.79 to $4.99 and their e-bike fees rose from 36 to 38 cents per minute.
Day passes for non-members will also increase to $25 starting Feb. 3.
Monday’s price jump marks the fourth year in a row Citi Bike has increased its rates.
Lyft cited inflation and e-bike-related costs as reasons for the Citi Bike hike, Gothamist reported. It was the same rationale the company used in response to pushing July’s price jump.
The Citi Bike service — which provides over 30,000 bikes across the boroughs and New Jersey — is also slated to expand its fleet to new parts of Queens, The Bronx and Brooklyn next fall.
Citi Bike recorded more than 45 million rides in 2024, the outlet reported based on data shared by Lyft. That was up 25% from 36 million rides in 2023.
But some riders were already fed up with the price hikes over the summer, telling The Post they were considering buying their own bicycles instead.
“I just don’t really like taking the train so I use Citi Bikes, but at this point it just seems more affordable to get your own bike,” said Travontae Gorman at a Manhattan charging bank location.
“It’s going to equal out to two or three of these rides with the continued increase,” he added.
A request for comment from Lyft was not immediately returned Monday.
The news also comes weeks after the MTA board voted on a budget poised to raise the cost of subway and bus fares from $2.90 to roughly $3.
