Forum Discussion

amandaxmei's avatar
amandaxmei
Casual Commenter
2 years ago

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

I came across a few newest ebikes like the one shown below with QR codes that were scratched/covered by marker and bike ID numbers that were ripped off. Regardless of the motivations, what are your s...
  • Jess's avatar
    Jess
    2 years ago

    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!  👼

     

amandaxmei's avatar
amandaxmei
Casual Commenter

Thank you Jess we appreciate your assistance!

Jess's avatar
Jess
Bike Angels Team
2 years ago

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!  👼

 

  • amandaxmei's avatar
    amandaxmei
    Casual Commenter
    2 years ago

    Thank you Jess for your prompt response! As to pressing the wrench button on the dock, I attempted to press it for an apparently damaged bike that was docked at a station today but it did not seem to work. I guess this feature is only available if you just used and docked the bike. So in the case that I am not able to undock the bike in the first place, then I would not be able to press the wrench button on the dock anyways? Please correct me if there is any misunderstanding. 

     

    Thanks again, and I look forward to hearing about the Bike Angels keys!

    • robertripps's avatar
      robertripps
      Casual Commenter
      2 years ago

      Would also be great if there was an easy way to report a broken bike dock itself (won't accept a bike, won't release a bike-[when is not red], etc.)

    • Jess's avatar
      Jess
      Bike Angels Team
      2 years ago

      Hi, amandaxmei, thanks for your reply and for trying to address this bike at the dock. I'm sorry the wrench button didn't respond.

       

      I confirmed internally that the wrench button on the dock, next to the bike should be usable, even if you don't undock or use that bike. If you find that this option doesn't work in the future, please feel free to reconnect with me here. 

       

       

      • amandaxmei's avatar
        amandaxmei
        Casual Commenter
        2 years ago

        Thanks, Jess for the confirmation!

  • robertripps's avatar
    robertripps
    Casual Commenter
    2 years ago

    You can see the estimated range of an Ebike in the app, as well as on the new Ebilekes, which to me seems more useful than just a battery icon and a rang of 5+ KM (which would only be around 3 miles- not enough info to know if I can take say a 5 mile long ride, IMO). So I like the current information (just wish it was displayed a bit larger on the bike itself so I could see it without having to use the app) . The most range I have see so far is 33 miles on a freshly replaced Cosmo battery. 

    • amandaxmei's avatar
      amandaxmei
      Casual Commenter
      2 years ago

      Good points robertripps ! I agree that it would be great if there is an easier way to report a broken dock. I think for now we can do an instant chat with support or report an issue in the app to request for inspection. As for the ebike info in the app, I somehow just realized there is ebike info in the Citibike app too, but still, I guess I just wish the entire ebike number is disclosed in the app so in this case, we can still try to find out the ebike number in the app even if the number and QR code are removed in the physical bike itself. 

      • Astnish28's avatar
        Astnish28
        Casual Commenter
        2 years ago

        That is the crazy thing - the full number used to be available in-app. They began censoring the first 3 digits a year or two ago. Now we have these issues. It makes zero sense.