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[Vicegrip]

No. The bikes are not horses in claiming races Citi bike is not in the business of rent to own.

[mstone]

@PotomacCyclist 122327 wrote:

In the same sense that a stolen bike becomes the property of a thief, yes. Citi Bike isn’t intended to serve as a bike store, where you can take a bike permanently if you feel like it.

I was unaware that stolen bikes usually get paid for by thieves…I’ll stop worrying about my bike being stolen, I guess.

[PotomacCyclist]

The charge is for cost recovery. He never had the right to take the bike in the first place. It’s not a purchase payment. I don’t think you understand the concept of bikeshare. Would it be acceptable to keep a short-term rental car just because there’s a fee/fine (whatever you want to call it) upon failure to return the vehicle? As mentioned above, it’s not a rent to own program.

Apart from that, it’s not clear if he paid the fine/fees. Even if he did, he is still not authorized to keep the bike.

Here’s another hypothetical: What if some obnoxious billionaire decided to toy with a bikeshare system? So he decides to destroy or keep several hundred of the bikes at once (with help from assistants). He can afford to pay the fines/fees and he pays them. But the system is now short several hundred bikes. Is this OK just because he paid those extra charges?

[TwoWheelsDC]

I think he should’ve tried to work something out with CitiBike to at least tell them what he was planning to do…I mean, maybe he did, but he doesn’t say so on the website. However, I wouldn’t call what he did stealing, since he checked the bike out with his own account and fully intends to either pay the usage fees or the ($1200) loss fee. I also assume the loss fee is significantly higher than the bike replacement cost, so the system ultimately comes out ahead, particularly if he ends up returning the bike to the system…he’s not planning to keep the bike afterward, at least as far as I could tell.

[PotomacCyclist]

There are no usage fees after 24 hrs. At that point, the bike is considered lost/stolen/destroyed. The fee is meant to deter this behavior. It’s not supposed to be an option for members to keep a bike if they want to. Maybe “fine” is a better word, but I’m not sure what word Motivate uses officially.

If the loss fee is $1200, that’s probably around replacement cost. Maybe a little more or a little less, although I expect that it would be at least a little more. The system isn’t coming out ahead even if the fee is a little more than the price of a new bike. If so, they would encourage people to take bikes permanently, collect the fees and make a profit. If that happened more frequently, that would affect the basic purpose of the system, which is to have a large fleet of bikes available for the use of members at official bike stations.

[mstone]

I don’t see the disappearance of large numbers of bikeshare bikes as a serious concern, since most people don’t want to spend $1200 on a used three speed tank when there are more generally useful bikes available for less money. Moral outrage and histrionics aside, the question I asked is whether the bike is legally his after he pays the replacement fee. As an analogy, and to consider unambiguous theft, consider what happens if my car is stolen: I report it to the insurance company and get a payout; if my car turns up after that, I don’t get to keep both the car and the payout because the car isn’t mine anymore. Heck, the same thing happens at the library: once I pay for a lost book, they don’t want the book back anymore.

[kwarkentien]

It is indeed a pilfered CitiBike: http://www.countribike.com/archives/eve-of-anticipation

Seems like he’s just asking for trouble when he probably could’ve gotten them to jump on board as a publicity stunt. It will be interesting to watch how this ends.

[KLizotte]

@kwarkentien 122371 wrote:

It is indeed a pilfered CitiBike: http://www.countribike.com/archives/eve-of-anticipation

Seems like he’s just asking for trouble when he probably could’ve gotten them to jump on board as a publicity stunt. It will be interesting to watch how this ends.

LOL, thanks for finding the post. He does a poor job rationalizing theft. Not impressed with this guy. He basically whines in his blog about how he doesn’t want to work for a living and contribute to society so he’s gonna go play tourist for a while. Roll eyes. If he had played his cards right, he probably could have gotten the bikeshare operator to give him permission for the publicity (though it will be very bad publicity if he gets hurt or killed while riding).

[Lt. Dan]

I sent him a message on FB- He responded saying that he paid the lost bike fee, and Citibike is not supporting his efforts. His plan today is to make a good way up the C&O Canal…

[KLizotte]

@Lt. Dan 122380 wrote:

I sent him a message on FB- He responded saying that he paid the lost bike fee, and Citibike is not supporting his efforts. His plan today is to make a good way up the C&O Canal…

I guess we can only take his word for it. Why in the world would he spend that kind of money on such a poor touring bike? Plus you can’t buy most parts for it at an LBS and most people will think it is stolen. Bizarre.

[TwoWheelsDC]

@KLizotte 122389 wrote:

I guess we can only take his word for it. Why in the world would he spend that kind of money on such a poor touring bike? Plus you can’t buy most parts for it at an LBS and most people will think it is stolen. Bizarre.

I appreciate his overall goals for the trip, even if his motivational speaker-y, Silicon Valley tech-savioresque tone makes me want to throw up a little…

Citi Bike was both my moving van and passport to this transient lifestyle: gym in TriBeCa, post office box in Chinatown, favorite cafe in Williamsburg, meetings in Times Square, storage unit near DUMBO, and a couch or bed somewhere in between. As long as a blue bike was somewhere near, I felt comfortable and in control.

Instead of a full-time job, I invested in my own projects. I raided my retirement account to redevelop my NYC guide app. Creating a product that has helped tens of thousands of tourists better explore the city gives me the satisfaction of helping others travel while building a content platform of my own.

I can work on the app from anywhere. So once again I’m hitting the road, but this time not flying across international borders. With trepidation I’m biking one slow mile at a time until my body, bank account or bike gives out.

I hope to inspire you to make some changes in your own life to gain a little more happiness or see the city in a new way. Bike commuting did that for me.

[Jason B]

@PotomacCyclist 122312 wrote:

At the Jefferson Memorial this evening

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I’m less concerned with the stolen bike and more concerned with the fact that my boyscout handbook clearly states your business needs to be taken care of at least 200 feet from a water source. New Yorkers will pee anywhere!

[Vicegrip]

@mstone 122349 wrote:

I don’t see the disappearance of large numbers of bikeshare bikes as a serious concern, since most people don’t want to spend $1200 on a used three speed tank when there are more generally useful bikes available for less money. Moral outrage and histrionics aside, the question I asked is whether the bike is legally his after he pays the replacement fee. As an analogy, and to consider unambiguous theft, consider what happens if my car is stolen: I report it to the insurance company and get a payout; if my car turns up after that, I don’t get to keep both the car and the payout because the car isn’t mine anymore. Heck, the same thing happens at the library: once I pay for a lost book, they don’t want the book back anymore.

Not same as insurance or losing a book and no moral outrage just common sense. I think they don’t want to be in the business of selling bikes. Called today and after some run around got an answer. Citibike charges a Fee for excess of 24 hours. The fee does not transfer ownership of the bike. I also checked the online information and again they only use Fee in the contract.

Unlike auto insurance or the local library contracts I was unable to find any wording where citibike discusses change of ownership.

” If the Citi Bike bicycle is not returned to a Bike Dock within a period of 24 consecutive hours, then the Citi Bike bicycle is deemed lost or stolen, Member’s credit or debit card will be charged a fee of up to $1,200, and a police report may be filed with local authorities. The Citi Bike bicycle must be returned by Member in the same condition in which it was rented. If the Citi Bike bicycle is returned to a Bike Dock damaged or in a state of disrepair, then Member will be charged a fee that is equal to the cost of repair. Such fees may be charged as soon as 24 hours after the Citi Bike bicycle is not returned or is returned in a damaged state. Bike Share will attempt to contact Member via telephone and email before charging the Member’s credit or debit card, by using the contact information provided by Member when subscribing to the Services. For any disappearance of a Citi Bike bicycle that was released on Member’s account, Member must report the disappearance to the local police department and to NYCBS or JCBS, as applicable, within 24 hours following the disappearance.”

[mstone]

Interesting

[consularrider]

Normally I don’t like to stop and take pictures, but I had to dismount here because the side-path ahead was full of loose sand and i was walking.
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I hadn’t planned to use this bridge on today’s ride, but I took the wrong exit out of a round-about and got myself lost. Eventually I came across some signs pointing back to the city center that dumped me out on the bridge above. There was another cyclist on the other span of the bridge (eastbound) in the right-hand traffic lane, sort of the
equivalent of ring on I-66 with no shoulder.

After the bridge I headed north up the right bank and stopped for a couple more photos.
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[Author]

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