Citibikes. | Peter Citi Bike announces it will add 90 stations

Citi Bike said Monday that it plans to add 90 stations this year in Long Island City, Greenpoint, Williamsburg and Bedford Stuyvesant, part of a general overhaul and expansion of its software, docking stations and equipment.

The announcement comes after Citi Bike abruptly shut down over the weekend to update its software to improve solar panels at the docks. Responding to the "inconvenience" the shutdown caused, the company said in a statement that it is extending all annual memberships by three days.

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During a press conference in Brooklyn, Citi Bike officials said all but six of its 332 stations are operating now and that they have launched an update to the bike share program's app so that it refreshes every 10 seconds rather than every five minutes so users can see if bikes are available at certain docks.

“This is the start of showing all of you, showing eight million people, that we have a period of fundamental change in Citi Bike,” said Jay Walder, C.E.O. of Motivate, Citi Bike’s parent company. “We had to replace the software to be able to that, but change has started.”

Further improvements will be made on individual stations during overnight hours.

The company also replaced and repaired 4,253 bicycles since September and expects to reach all 6,000 before the summer, Walder said.

Citi Bike plans to add key dispensers and hire valets to aid users at some of the city’s most used stations and will add maintenance workers to staff new depots, he said.

Walder also said contract negotiations with Citi Bike maintenance workers, which have been ongoing for five months, are continuing.

“We are engaged with negotiations with them. We’re walking on a contract right now,” he said. “There’s a whole wide range of discussions going on right now, it’s been quite a rigorous process.”

The workers joined Transport Workers Union Local 100 last year and called for a contract to be settled on by “bike season” in spring.

Citi Bike also released a statement in response to the short notice given to users about the weekend shutdown, promising riders additional days on their membership.

"We know this closure was an inconvenience and have extended every Citi Bike annual membership by three days," the statement said. "The maintenance work successfully completed will form the foundation for a series of improvements to Citi Bike that we are excited to roll out this spring.”