Starting in early May, select Lyft users in New York City will begin to see a new mode of transportation available in the app: bikes! As we work to make cities better places to live and increase mobility, we see bikeshare as an integral part of our vision. There’s no question that a platform for the world’s best transportation needs to include bikes: they’re green, they’re fun, and they’re one of the best ways to beat city traffic.

We’re starting with one of the world’s most popular bikeshare systems: Citi Bike®️ in New York City. With a track record of more than 75 million rides and a growing fleet of more than 12,000 shared bikes, the Citi Bike system is a key reason we chose to acquire Motivate and become North America’s largest bikeshare operator. Making it easy for all Lyft users to access bikeshare will open up a world of possibilities and, we hope, get many more people riding Citi Bike.

How it works

Starting soon, if you’re one of the many, many New Yorkers who already have the Lyft app on your phone, all you’ll need is two taps and one of the famous blue bikes will take you where you want to go. No extra sign-ups or account info needed — you’ll automatically see how many bikes are available at more than 750 Citi Bike stations throughout the city and be able to unlock a bike and pay for a ride, all within the Lyft app.

When you press the button to unlock a bike, you’ll get a five-digit code you can punch in on any dock at that station. That’s it — you’re ready to roll!

When you return your bike to a station and see the green light appear on the dock, you’ll get a push notification that you’ve docked successfully and the brand-new option to rate your bike ride. This will give us informative, new data about how our bikes and stations are performing and help improve our operations.

Over the next few months, we'll continue to make upgrades and add features, including the option for existing Citi Bike members to link their accounts and use the Lyft app to unlock bikes. And we’ll be adding more cities beyond New York soon, because we think that more bike rides will mean better cities.

We’re thrilled at the opportunity to make bikes available to more riders and shift people onto sustainable, two wheeled transit. Happy riding!