Gaming Lyft’s Citi Bike algos was a lucrative side hustle for a while

A New York Times article Thursday highlighted a lucrative side hustle that is emblematic of the times we live in: gaming algorithms to earn money. In this case, folks figured out they could maximize the payout from Lyft’s Citi Bike “Bike Angels” program by taking advantage of a company algorithm used to meet its supply-and-demand needs.

The practice of “station flipping” — when one or more bike angels move docked Citi Bikes to a nearby empty station, waited 15 minutes and then moved them back — was quashed over the summer, according to Lyft. The company sent an email to the offenders reminding them that earning Bike Angel points through station flipping went against the spirit of the program. “Continued instances of station flipping could result in removal from the Bike Angels program,” the email read.

The practice lasted long enough, however, for some bike angels to earn thousands of dollars every month.