We know Carrie Bradshaw once famously said that in New York, you’re either looking for a new apartment, a new job or a new boyfriend. But we think she forgot to add side hustle into that equation!
According to NY Bet, 57% of New Yorkers have a side hustle to keep up with their finances. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that some New Yorkers are getting quite creative to bring in that extra cash, like joining Citi Bike’s team of Bike Angels.
The Bike Angels program first launched 2016 to crowdsource rebalancing the amount of Citi Bikes at each station. Bike Angels are responsible for riding bikes from crowded stations to those nearing empty, in exchange for rewards.
Essentially, the program allows Bike Angels to accumulate points for the bikes they’re moving. These points can equate to Bike Angels swag, e-bike credit, Lyft credit, membership extension, and e-gift cards. One legendary Bike Angel is rumored to have made $60,000 over the course of last year, reports The New York Times.
However, since Lyft only pays 20 cents per point, racking in that kind of cash is not an easy feat. The New York Times even went into how some Bike Angels are hacking the algorithm by collectively joining forces to maximize their points earned by station flipping (intentionally making one station full of bikes, while another nearby is entirely empty).
Of course, this method has been met with some controversy over whether these efforts negatively impact regular everyday riders. Not to mention Lyft threatens to remove “cheaters” from the program entirely.
Those interested in becoming a Bike Angel can join directly through the app. Plus, if you’re competitive there’s even a Bike Angels leaderboard showing the top 20 Angels (only using initials) and their current points. Right now, Angel AI180 sits at the number one spot with 1521 points.
Not interested in the cardiovascular work a Bike Angel requires? Maybe consider selling your stool. Yes, some people can actually make up to $180,000/year for pooping.