Citi Bike Vs. Taxis: What's The Fastest Way to Get Around Midtown?

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — You're having a busy day shopping around Midtown, and you realize you need to travel more than 20 blocks north to meet a friend. AND you're running late. What's the fastest way to get there?

You're in luck: New York City's Department of Transportation (DOT) recently conducted a study to figure out how Citi Bike compares to taking a cab for Midtown travel. The DOT used 2015 data collected from Citi Bike and from the GPS in taxis — averaged over the course of a year, and looking only at trips that began and ended in Midtown.

Who was the winner?

Citi Bike had a huge advantage over taxis. According to the DOT report, Citi Bike outpaces taxis by at least 2 mph.

Even better, for the most frugal among us, is that taking the pedal-powered option is at least $6 cheaper than relying on fossil fuels, according to the city study.

Google Maps shows similar results: An average trip across midtown is nearly twice as quick when you travel by bike than by car.

Bike

Car

Trips by cab beginning and ending in midtown range from $7.08 to $18.37 on average, while the average cost of a Citi Bike trip in the neighborhood costs $1.05, the study found.

Despite the inefficiency and extra cost, though, most people seem to prefer the luxury of a cab to the convenience of a bike.

On an average fall day, there are around 85,000 taxi trips that either begin or end in the midtown, the study showed — and 19 percent of those, or 15,837, never leave the neighborhood. The number of Citi Bike trips that stay in Midtown, on the other hand, is a measly 1,673.

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Photo by Oran Viriyincy/Flickr