Speed demons are in for a real slow-down.
Citi Bike users are already getting charged an arm and a leg — but a mandatory slow-down is now driving up the price.
Last October, then-Mayor Eric Adams, announced a new 15 miles-per-hour cap for all e-bike riders. The move hit every street across the five boroughs, as well as on pathways inside of parks operated by the city.
Since then, riders across the Big Apple are starting to notice higher prices — and longer commutes. Citi Bike — which is owned by Lyft — charges its members 27 cents per minute for an e-bike ride.
This means, the slower you ride, the higher the cost.
“ If they’re getting slower, they’re getting more expensive,” Andrew Kam, a frequent Citi Bike user told Gothamist. “It’s inconvenient to go slower, so they’re charging more and it’s a lesser service.”
Kam put the newer cap to test, revealing that his 6-mile e-bike ride — from Chambers Street to 125th Street — cost him $1.08 more with the decreased speed.
Here’s the math.
When the limit was 18 mph, Kam said his trip would take roughly 20 minutes and cost a minimum of $5.40 — not factoring in any stops. However, the lower 15 mph speed limit means his trip now takes about 24 minutes at least — setting him back $6.48.
So where is all that money going — not the little guys.
Records show the lower speed limit directly correlated to higher profits. Gothamist revealed Citi Bike made $24.7 million profit in 2025. Plus, ridership also reached historic highs — up from a $6.8 million profit in 2024.
“ I don’t think a lot of people even realize that it happens because unless you were riding a Citi Bike every day, you wouldn’t realize that the speed decreased,” Kam told Gothamist. “It was just a hidden tax on all Citi Bike users.”
It may not have started that way, though.
First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro said at the time of the speed cap that the Citi Bike e-bikes were “an emergency threat to life and property.” Mastro put pressure on Adams shortly after a 3-year-old girl in Williamsburg was hit by an e-bike rider.
While the incident did not happen on a Citi Bike, Adams still made the change and even oversaw a portion of the protected bike lane on Bedford Avenue — where the child was struck — be removed.
The move, however, is not sitting well with New York City bikers and comes as some councilmembers and advocates alike are currently aiming to rein in Citi Bike costs, where a $3 cap would be set on e-bike rides for members.
Until then, speed demons will be forced to become a slowpoke.
