Citi Bike rate increases went into effect this week, costing commuters and casual riders a little extra each time they undock. 

Lyft, the parent company of the Citi Bike program, announced that starting the second week of January, non-member rides on e-bikes will increase from 36 cents per minute to 38 cents per minute. A single-ride pass will increase to $4.99 from $4.79. In February, day passes will jump from $19 to $25, and day pass overage charges will rise to 38 cents per minute. 

“I use them mostly every day,” said Malex Mendoza, a Sunset Park resident. Mendoza, who mostly sticks to public transportation, is worried about the increase for both the subway fare and Citi Bikes. 

“It’s too much. We are not rich, and we don’t have money to afford bikes like that,” Mendoza told Brooklyn Paper. 

Members will face slightly easier rate hikes. Annual membership costs will stay the same, with e-bikes only increasing 25 cents per minute from 24 cents. Overage fees for both classic and electric bikes for members will also increase to 25 cents per minute. 

However, reminiscent of congestion pricing that went into effect this January, members will be charged $5 for e-bike rides that are 45 minutes or less that enter or exit Manhattan.

Local politicians have called for regulation of rate increases for bike-sharing apps. Brooklyn Council Member Lincoln Restler introduced a bill to the City Council last September attempting to cap maximum charges for bike-sharing operators. 

“New Yorkers can’t afford for Citi Bike to hike prices every few months. We need to tie the cost of a CitiBike ride to the cost of a subway fare to make it more accessible and affordable to choose cycling,” said Nieve Mooney, a spokesperson from Restler’s office. 

Last summer, Mayor Eric Adams said he would “love to” subsidize Citi Bikes, but did not have a concrete plan to do so. At the time, Deputy Mayor Meera Joshi said subsidized rides should be included in future CitiBike expansions.

Citi Bike is set to expand significantly in fall 2025, bringing bike-share access to underserved Brooklyn neighborhoods, including Bay Ridge, Brownsville, East New York, and Kensington. 

Colton Greer, a Bay Ridge resident, says the rate increase for the shared bikes will not factor into his decision of how frequently he will use them. 

“I know they are expanding them; if rate hikes are going to improve that, I am down for that,” shared Greer.

Over one hundred parents and toddlers huddled outside of City Hall on Sunday to demand universal childcare for children as young as two years old.

While New Yorkers say the Big Apple is a wonderful city to raise kids, they also lament its financial impact on a family unit to put a child through early educational care. According to New Yorkers United for Child Care, which organized the Jan. 12 rally, on average, programs cost families $23,000 per child each year — placing economic hardships on young families, and especially for those with more than one tot.

“I started calculating what my childcare costs would be for two kids for the year, and it came out to be $59,000. I’m not talking about fancy pants programs. This is your regular, local daycare and preschool that was within walking distance of our apartment,” Stephanie Park of Brooklyn said. “That is money that our household should be using to pay student loans, to be putting towards a down payment on an apartment, or to be putting into our kids’ college.”

Many parents and guardians agreed with Park as they assembled in City Hall Park on Sunday, hoisting signs demanding universal childcare in one hand and their young child in the other despite the chilly winds.

They want the city to fund Universal 2-Care, offering free child care for children as young as two daily between 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Supporters also want the program to make such childcare accessible within a 15-minute walking distance of a household.

Parents and advocates say this is important not just because New Yorkers collectively spend $14 billion on childcare annually but also because they charge that 80% of brain growth in children happens before age 3, and they need important stimuli.

A slew of elected officials — including two mayoral candidates: City Comptroller Brad Lander and Queens state Sen. Jessica Ramos — joined the rally in support of the initiative.

Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, who is running to replace Lander as city comptroller, declared that he believed if universal 2-Care became a reality, it would pay for itself since many parents currently forced to stay home with their children would be freed to achieve employment and, in turn, garner more money for the city.

“A city with a $100 billion budget can do this, and this will unleash economic activity because every parent who can then go back to work will generate income and tax revenue for the city,” Levine said. “In other parts of the world where this has been done, it has paid for itself. New York has to do this. We need this now.”

Politicians, advocates, and parents are asking for universal 2-Care To be included in the incoming budget.