Chicago bike angels watching the recent ACH / gift card grumbles..
Here, our redemption options are only Lyft credits or membership extensions 😢
YES! Likely because there needed to be a greater incentive in NYC and the expense of moving the bikes with employees was far too expensive. But the fact of the matter is that gift cards are great for those who do not need the income and simply earn points as a fringe benefit of being a member but those people are not really contributing enough to make a difference for commuters. They are likely not the ones who are rebalancing the system late at night (as a means of making ends meet with additional income). Also, I am just realizing how ridiculous Lyft's decision to de-incentivize bike angels at this time...given the fact that they just implemented congestion pricing in midtown Manhattan, which means their costs to move bikes with employees and vans is going to increase dramatically. I cannot imagine why they would reduce the compensation at a time when inflation is sky high and wages have increased in general. Perhaps they decided to eliminate the cash payments to discourage the immigrants who were participating or something like that but clearly they do not comprehend that the majority of the work is being done by public servants, retirees, and/or those who are expecting to encounter additional expenses due to the political decisions currently being presented.
The cynic in me thinks Lyft could be reducing incentives for bike angels, with no intentions to replace that labor by increasing employee-based rebalancing. They'll just leave the bike system more unbalanced.
Why do I think that? Because there is a clear conflict of interest in having a ride-sharing company managing a bike share system: if the bike share is inherently unprofitable, then letting it degrade further will cause more people to choose a ride share (with a better profit margin for the company).
If the bikes don't work (poor maintenance) or are unavailable (unbalanced system), cars seem more reasonable option in comparison. I've definitely called an Uber or Lyft because the nearest dock happened to be empty or, more commonly, only had a handful of broken e-bikes with the red light.
Doubt they would bet on your theory...that they would obtain more income through car ride share....especially since 1. They have competition in that share arena, 2. It is a false equivalency, since it takes far less time to get around on a bike (or subway) than it does to wait for a driver and get to a destination or to do several errands in a row in a car. 3. The costs of ride share is likely to increase now that congestion pricing has been imposed. 4. The cost of fuel is expected to increase if the president imposes tariffs, thereby inflating the cost of ride share even more. 5. Most of the people riding the bikes are not likely to call an Uber (unless they are traveling for business and have an expense account). Ultimately the amount of money they "might" save on bike angels will probably be miniscule as compared to the number of memberships and daily rides they will lose, as others choose public transportation instead. The membership fees have already increased by quite a bit, so those with monthly metro cards might not find it worth the while to also have a bike membership if it is availability decreases. The convenience is the primary selling point. If you cannot find a parking spot...then that may throw off the entire cost benefit analysis.
