CitiBike First Day Try Out

Here it is...the thing that New Yorkers have been bitching about for months.

I bought a day-pass...$10.82 after tax. They also put a $101 hold on your credit card until the end of the day.

I started off at 41st and Broadway in the Times Square area. The kiosks were easy enough to use, but some of the docks would not work with the first unlock code I was given. I ended up having to try three or four docks before one would actually unlock.

The ride from Times Square to Greenwich Village was pleasant enough. The route I decided to take was pretty simple.

• South on Broadway to 23rd Street
• West on 23rd Street to Seventh Avenue
• South on Seventh Avenue

I was going to visit my barber on 7th and Charles, but the closest bike station was on 7th and West 4th, so I dropped the bike off there. You only get the bike for a half an hour before hefty overtime charges start (annual members get 45 free minutes per ride), but thankfully the ride only took 25 or so minutes. 

Locking the bike took a nice hard shove back into the dock. After making sure the thing was locked in, the ride is logged as complete and you can then go about your business.

I used the system three or four more times throughout the day. There's an option to obtain a new unlock code at the kiosk, after which you insert the same credit card you used to buy the pass. Some of the credit card readers were finicky and took three or four tries to read my card. Once an unlock code prints out, you have 5 minutes to use it. 

Generally, I like the system.  I think it's probably best for just short jaunts from neighborhood to neighborhood...longer rides, even with an annual membership, will cost you a pretty penny. At that point, you'd be better off renting a bike for the day at one of the numerous bike shops around town.

I wouldn't mind paying $10 for the day pass, especially since the MTA nixed the 1-Day Fun Pass MetroCard...whenever I visit the city I'd take the subway at least 3 or 4 times. Bike Share is a pretty decent option but of course, I probably would still take the subway if I was going to another borough or pretty far uptown (they only have bike stations below 59th Street at the moment)

I learned that they have a similar, albeit much smaller, bike sharing system in Long Beach, NY. I plan on taking a day out there one of these days. 

People have been bitching plenty about this whole thing, but I did see a lot of other people on Citi Bike when I used it. I think it'll be pretty cool once the technical glitches work themselves out.