Citi Bike to add age verification system in New York City

Currently, riders have to be 16 or older to ride. But there is no method in place to verify ages.

Karina Gerry

Aug 22, 2025, 2:41 AM

Updated 20 hr ago

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Citi Bike riders will soon have to verify their age to ride a bike, after a push from city officials.
“It’s wrong to have kids tooling around on e-bikes that can get a good head of steam on them and can create really dangerous conditions," said Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro.
More than 100,000 New Yorkers ride Citi Bike daily. The bikeshare program, which is owned by Lyft, is one of the largest programs in the country.
Currently, riders have to be 16 or older to ride. But there is no method in place to verify ages.
“We said to Lyft, ‘Hey, apply your own rules and have real enforcement,’ because it’s a matter of public safety," said Mastro.
Citi Bike said it is working on a verification program.
“Safety is our top priority. We’ll work with the First Deputy Mayor’s office to implement an age verification option that minimizes friction for riders while helping prevent underage riders from accessing the program,” a spokesperson wrote in a statement.
Mastro says the verification process will be implemented within the next three months.