Citi-Bike NYC Data Viz
1 Introduction
After launching its initial fleet of 6,000 bikes across 300 stations in 2013, Citi Bike has since transformed the streets of New York City in many lasting ways. Today, Citi Bike is the largest bike share system in the United States, approaching 30,000 bikes and 2,000 stations across New York City, Jersey City, and Hoboken, New Jersey.
With around 3.7 million rides in October 2023, ridership is up approximately 30% compared to the same time last year and almost 75% compared to pre-pandemic levels in October 2019. As ridership demand and growth continue to reach new highs, Citi Bike and New York City are responding by introducing plans for expansions and improvements to the system. On November 3, 2023, Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Department of Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriques announced plans to significantly expand Citi Bike services by the end of next year. These plans include doubling the number of electric bikes at its stations and electrifying 20% of its existing stations.
This year the city is celebrating 10 years of the bike-sharing program that changed New York City's transportation landscape, infrastructure, culture, and accessibility. As Citi Bike continues to establish itself as an indispensable service and vital component of the city's transportation network, ensuring its reliability and equity is key to securing the program's success in the long run. This project will examine Citi Bike's growth throughout the years, exploring demand across stations, seasons, days, and neighborhoods, to identify notable trends across these variables.
Some specific questions we are interested in include:
How has Citi Bike ridership grown since launch?
Where did Citi Bike stations expand to over the years?
How does average hourly flow differ across years, months, seasons, and weekdays?
How does average hourly net flow differ across years, months, seasons, and weekdays?
How does average hourly flow and net flow differ across neighborhoods in New York?