If you don’t know yet, Citi Bike is the largest bike-sharing, not ridesharing on its own, in the USA, providing a network of over 1,500 stations and over 25,000 bikes across the Big Apple. Think of Manhattan, Jersey City, Queens, Brooklyn, and Bronx.
Selecting bikes over cars is not only sustainable for the environment, but also very healthy for the biker.
According to Cleveland Clinic, the health benefits of biking or cycling include improving strength and flexibility, helping with coordination and balance, allowing for a multi-functional exercise, improving your mental well-being, and helping with conditions like arthritis. Everyone could bike, even the older generation.
“Cycling is more than just a popular hobby. Whether you’re on a dusty trail or in your favorite trendy cycling studio, there are many ways to enjoy and benefit from cycling,” the Cleveland Clinic stated.
However, when some cities in the United States were heavily blanketed in snow, Citi Bike was quick to take action.
Instead of offering the usual discounts to members or promising prompt snow removal, as others would do, Citi Bike is choosing to use and send “swag” to “snowtime warriors” who are able to use their memberships, urging them to post their biking content on social.
Lyft is sending their thank you’s to these snowtime warriors.
Earlier today, a netizen on Reddit shared the message they received from Lyft, praising the snowtime warrior’s “resilience” amid the bitter cold.
“The weather has been tough lately, but you’ve been tougher!” the message read. “Our team noticed that you are among the very top riders in New York, who have been out there moving through the snowy conditions. We know that navigating the city in the snow takes extra effort, and we’re so grateful that you’ve chosen to keep riding with us. As our ‘thank you’ for your incredible resilience, we want to send you a special swag package filled with some of our favorite things. We’ll get your gift in the mail within the next couple of weeks.”
Thus, Lyft is likewise encouraging these snowtime warriors to create and post their free content, in order to change the narrative out of the bad press about the response to the winter storm, that Ridesharing Forum also reported a couple of days ago.
“We’d also love to celebrate your winter warrior status — if you’re out on a ride, snap a photo, tag us on social media, and let us know how you’re staying warm!” Lyft continued. “Stay safe and see you out there.”
This message is a sigh of relief for the institutions involved, as the country’s winter storm and the subsequent cold weather have left hardened now in not just a hundred, but around 2,400 Citi Bike docking stations around, and the Citi Bike app usage has been affected.
This is also a nod and feature for Lyft, the company responsible for clearing snow from its infrastructure, not the United States Department of Transportation.
However, still, some are wanting things to get more ideal.
Clarence Eckerson Jr., who creates documentaries about street design, suggested that Lyft should give members a discount, since the service they are investing in is not completely functional.
“I really think at the very least @CitiBikeNYC should consider a 2-week free extension to anyone with a membership,” the content wrote on the social networking platform.
Citi Bike is managed by Lyft.
Lyft is a ride-sharing platform that connects passengers with drivers through a mobile app, offering on-demand transportation, scheduled rides, and multiple service tiers in cities across the USA. For more ridesharing news, keep following this Ridesharing Forum site.