City officials say they'll soon enforce age verification for Citi Bike riders
First Deputy Mayor of New York City Randy Mastro says Lyft's policy is for riders to be at least 16 years old, but the city plans on more strictly enforcing it.
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Randy Mastro, First Deputy Mayor of New York City, says Citi Bike riders will have to verify their age before riding.
“It’s a matter of public safety. It's a matter of protecting kids from their own stupid mistakes. And it's a matter of protecting pedestrians and others using the bike lanes from crazy driving by underage drivers," said Mastro.
Mastro says Lyft's policy is for riders to be at least 16 years old, but the city plans on more strictly enforcing it.
“A growing chorus of New Yorkers were saying, ‘Hey, this is really dangerous to have young kids tooling around on Citi Bikes,’" said Mastro.
Meanwhile, some riders, like Oneil Gordon, say they remember relying on the public bike service as a kid.
“I remember using the Citi Bike to go work and stuff like that. So it was definitely good for good things," said Gordon.
The First Deputy Mayor says it's unclear how they'll verify riders' ages, but requiring IDs could be an option. He says the rollout will happen within the next three months.
People like Nicholas Brown think it will have a positive impact.
“I think it’s good, honestly. They’re riding too dangerous out here, so I think it’s good," said Brown.
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.
