Attention, bikers: Starting now, Lyft users in New York City can choose Citi Bike for their mode of transportation right in the Lyft app. Which means for those of us without the Citi Bike app, it just got a whole lot easier to get around the city.
Here's how it works: When you go to request a ride via Lyft, you can select Bikes under "Nearby" — and the app will direct you to the nearest Citi Bike station, tell you how many bikes are available there, and provide the rate ($3 for 30 minutes). You then have the option to "Unlock a bike," and the app gives you a code to enter into the keypad of the bike. From there, you're ready to go, and the Lyft app tracks your ride. And once you've finished, all you have to do is lock up at a Citi Bike dock (the app tells you how many open docks there are at each station at any given time).
This integration comes on the heels of Lyft's acquisition of Motivate, Citi Bike's parent company, last November, and a plan to invest $100 million into Citi Bike and expand it to 40,000 bikes city-wide. Lyft has provided bikes and scooters since last June as part of its Green Cities Initiative and commitment to offering exclusively carbon neutral rides. But if you're not in NYC, fear not — Lyft offers a bike in tons of other U.S. cities, including San Francisco, Washington D.C., Boston, Columbus, and Portland.