For years, the city and Lyft, the operator of the Citi Bike program, have sought to create an age verification system ensuring that those who rent standard or electric Citi Bikes are of the proper age to do so.
No one under 16 years of age may use a Citi Bike, though without an age verification system, it’s almost impossible to enforce that rule. The former Adams administration put the wheels in motion (no pun intended) with Lyft to create such an identification program, one that may include facial recognition technology — a method that is seeing increased usage and scrutiny in recent years.
Privacy advocates have expressed concern over such technology being used to identify riders, particularly minors under 18 years of age. They fear that the images of the riders and other collected data may be used for purposes other than renting a Citi Bike.
Among those who share these concerns is Mayor Zohran Mamdani. On Tuesday, he expressed “skepticism” over the Citi Bike age identification program and “a number of risks” associated with the plan.
City Council Member Julie Menin, on the other hand, wants the Mamdani administration not to drag its feet when it comes to preventing underage riders from using Citi Bike, arguing that it’s a matter of public safety.
In an Aug. 24 letter to Transportation Commissioner Mike Flynn, Menin urged the administration to work on a way to enforce age verification in cooperation with Lyft, rightly noting that “protecting privacy and protecting our children should not be mutually exclusive.”
Exact data on how many underage people use Citi Bike, and how many of them are involved in traffic collisions, are not known; in fact, the City Council is looking to pass legislation compelling Lyft to track such data and provide it to the city. Nevertheless, that should not preclude the city and Lyft from taking action to prevent underage people from renting and using Citi Bikes, because it is indeed a matter of public safety.
Young riders do not always know the rules of the road, and may use the standard and electronic bikes irresponsibly. It’s important to ensure that anyone who uses a Citi Bike provides their information for the purposes of safety, liability and accountability.
We submit, however, that while using facial recognition technology is up for debate, there is a far simpler path toward age verification almost immediately: Use of publicly-issued identification, whether it’s a driver’s license or state-issued ID, a student ID card, or the city-issued IDNYC card — which is available to any New York City resident free of charge, regardless of immigration status.
Lyft and the city can install secure devices on Citi Bike kiosks that allow users to scan whatever ID they have before renting. It can record the data safely and ensure it is not disseminated to any unauthorized person or organization.
Having age verification for Citi Bike is a necessary step toward saving the lives of children and increasing the safety of our streets. To maintain the status quo is not an option.
In a city that does not tolerate unlicensed motorists or street vendors, why should it tolerate a lack of ID for Citi Bike users?