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The Hustlers Who Make $6,000 a Month by Gaming Citi Bikes
The Hustlers Who Make $6,000 a Month by Gaming Citi Bikes
The bike-sharing program rewards users who help redistribute bikes around New York City. A few riders have figured out how to turn that into profit.
A full dock of Citi Bikes on 34th Street means there’s money to be made by moving them elsewhere. Yuvraj Khanna for The New York Times
By Christopher Maag
Christopher Maag spent several days in Midtown Manhattan running behind Bike Angels.
Sept. 19, 2024
It was the perfect New York hustle, a scam of subtle perfection. And for three years, it helped Mark Epperson pay his rent.
The hustle, in its simplest form: Borrow a Citi Bike. Ride it one block. Wait 15 minutes, then ride it back. … Earn $6,000 a month (under ideal conditions, and with lots of work).
“This is one of my side hustles,” said Mr. Epperson, an actor who lives on the Upper West Side and works as an understudy in “Perfect Crime,” an Off Broadway play. “I’m probably a vulture in some people’s eyes. And I guess that’s fair.”
If Mr. Epperson’s insight into the scheme is simple, the circumstances surrounding it are anything but. Citi Bike, a bike-sharing program operated by Lyft that offers 27,000 bikes throughout New York City, Hoboken and Jersey City, promises seamless pickup and drop-off. Occasionally, though, a ride to work ends with the rider’s discovery that the docking station nearest the office is full. A dash to brunch is foiled by an empty dock, with no bikes available.
{snip}
Christopher Maag is a reporter covering the New York City region for The Times. More about Christopher Maag
A version of this article appears in print on Sept. 22, 2024, Section MB, Page 1 of the New York edition with the headline: Bike Sharing’s Wheeler-Dealers. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe
The bike-sharing program rewards users who help redistribute bikes around New York City. A few riders have figured out how to turn that into profit.
A full dock of Citi Bikes on 34th Street means there’s money to be made by moving them elsewhere. Yuvraj Khanna for The New York Times
By Christopher Maag
Christopher Maag spent several days in Midtown Manhattan running behind Bike Angels.
Sept. 19, 2024
It was the perfect New York hustle, a scam of subtle perfection. And for three years, it helped Mark Epperson pay his rent.
The hustle, in its simplest form: Borrow a Citi Bike. Ride it one block. Wait 15 minutes, then ride it back. … Earn $6,000 a month (under ideal conditions, and with lots of work).
“This is one of my side hustles,” said Mr. Epperson, an actor who lives on the Upper West Side and works as an understudy in “Perfect Crime,” an Off Broadway play. “I’m probably a vulture in some people’s eyes. And I guess that’s fair.”
If Mr. Epperson’s insight into the scheme is simple, the circumstances surrounding it are anything but. Citi Bike, a bike-sharing program operated by Lyft that offers 27,000 bikes throughout New York City, Hoboken and Jersey City, promises seamless pickup and drop-off. Occasionally, though, a ride to work ends with the rider’s discovery that the docking station nearest the office is full. A dash to brunch is foiled by an empty dock, with no bikes available.
{snip}
Christopher Maag is a reporter covering the New York City region for The Times. More about Christopher Maag
A version of this article appears in print on Sept. 22, 2024, Section MB, Page 1 of the New York edition with the headline: Bike Sharing’s Wheeler-Dealers. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe