Available bikes declined through December as empty station count rose

Citi Bike has been steadily pulling bikes off the street since early November, with the number dropping to a low for the year of 2756 on December 30. This is in contrast to last winter, when the number of available bikes peaked at 5433 in mid-January.

It could be that Citi Bike has learned a lesson from 2014’s harsh winter. Or it could be that the move will only exacerbate the system’s so-far dismal performance this winter. The decline in the number of available bikes does correspond with the recent increase in the number of empty stations.