Some newest ebikes are desperately "claimed" as personal bikes in a (selfish) way or why else?

Thank you again, amandaxmei, for calling attention to this issue with these bikes and for including this photo. Our team is committed to curbing misuse of the system, and I forwarded this feedback internally to the teams that investigate issues like this.

I can imagine this would be a very disheartening thing to come upon, and I apologize that this was your experience today. To address your questions: 

1. A Bike key would be helpful, as riders don’t have to input a bike number at any stage of use. Standard bike keys are currently sold out on our site, but I hope to be able to share some good news about Bike Angels bike keys soon. 
2. Kiosk are designed for non-members or travelers, and your membership wouldn’t be tied to your ride if you unlocked using a kiosk.
3. To my knowledge, Citi Bike Card unlock isn’t currently being supported, although that dock has the tech to support that feature.
4. If you encounter a damaged, lost, or vandalized bike and the bike number is visible, the best option is to contact our support team and provide the station location and the bike number.  In cases like this where you’re unable to view the bike number, press the wrench button on the dock.  Pressing the wrench button on the dock will alert our Operations Team that this bike needs attention, and will make the bike unusable until our teams comes to inspect things.
5. While, I understand this isn’t ideal, without a bike key, there isn’t a reliable or simple way to unlock a bike in this condition. That said, instances like this are actively being investigated to minimize misuse and ensure the system is healthy.

Lastly, thank you for the screenshot of your Bixi app. I agree a battery life indicator would be an improvement, and I’m sure the Citi Bike Product Teams would agree, as well. I hope to see some version of this eventually. I think it would be a win for sure!

Keep your feedback and questions coming!  👼