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 suggestions in this situation?

 

 

  1. Key fob can be handy, but I see that the orders are pending and that there is still a supply chain issue. I look forward to getting an update on this.
  2. Can we use the kiosk to get a one-time-use ride code associated with the account to undock?
  3. What is the Citibike card option on the right of the bike docking station?
  4. Should/can we report this by pressing the wrench symbol to stop the bike from undocking by anyone immediately? I guess this may be a double-edged sword as it can be pressed mistakenly sometimes, but then should we report this in the app? It seems like the bike repair request in the app is not specific and that by the time the technician gets there, the specific bike can be already undocked by whoever "reserved" it. 
  5. Any other way to undock the bike when the QR code and the bike id number are not options that I may not be aware of?

Please advise. Thanks! 

 

P.S. For future reference, it may be useful to add the ebike info in the app (sth like Bixi has done below). 

 

  • 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!  👼

     

  • Astnish28's avatar
    Astnish28
    Casual Commenter
    2 years ago

    Jess What would solve a lot of these issues is if the full eBike number were available in-app. Keep in mind that it used to be available, and sometime in the last year or two, the first 3 numbers began to be censored (It went from 000-0000 to ***-0000). The clear solution is to bring this back; I can't imagine why it was removed honestly. If there is an issue with someone unlocking a bike when they aren't at the station, geofence the full number to a radius around the station - a capability the app already has. The issues with ebike vandlism and entitled behavior are borne of Citibike's own doing.

    Another improvement that would curb this abuse is to enable the phone app to interact with the new eBikes using NFC. From what I understand, the new eBikes can be unlocked using NFC by the fobs, and phones also have NFC, so just let the phone NFC read the bike information and process the unlock as usual through the app.

    • Astnish28's avatar
      Astnish28
      Casual Commenter
      2 years ago

      As of today, it appears full bike numbers are back in-app. Let's hope Lyft/Citibike learned their lesson.

      • amandaxmei's avatar
        amandaxmei
        Casual Commenter
        2 years ago

        Yeah I see that too! Glad to see this update 😁

    • 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!  👼

       

      • 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. 

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

    Hi there, amandaxmei, thanks for returning to the community with this topic, and thanks for clearly posting your questions. I'm going to do a little investigation to ensure I'm sending the correct info your way, and I'll reply here later today. 😊