Citi Bike will soon be able to frustrate even more riders with seats that won’t stay up.
The bike-sharing service will double its service area in the Big Apple and triple its fleet of bicycles over the next five years, officials announced Thursday without divulging the new locations.
In a deal between the city and Lyft — which just purchased Citi Bike’s parent company — the ride-share giant will pump $100 million into expanding the system and adding some 28,000 two-wheelers.
But many riders say they’d rather see the money go to fixing the janky bikes it already has and adding more docks to existing areas.
“I think expanding is the wrong move. They have to fix what they’ve got. They haven’t figured out the model yet. Before you expand to New Jersey or Westchester or Timbuktu, you’ve got to fix the model,” said Midtown resident Bill Fitzhugh, 59, who’s been a member for three years.
“I take it as often as I can, which is really only twice a week because there are never any bikes . . . Getting a bike is a crap shoot.”
The company says some of the new rides will be electric pedal-assist models, but wouldn’t reveal how many.
Citi Bike rolled out 200 of the e-bikes this year and plans to add 800 by the time the L train stops running in Manhattan on April 27.
But users have griped that finding the e-cycles is a wild goose chase — especially since they’re frequently out of juice and need 45 minutes to recharge.
“I’ve tried to use the e-bikes a couple times but it never works. It always showed a red light that it needed to be charged,” said Strujan Gaddam, 36, who rides through Midtown.
Citi Bike spokeswoman Julie Wood told The Post some of the cash will go to charging the e-bikes “more efficiently,” but didn’t explain how.
Critics also worry that low-income neighborhoods and the outer boroughs will continue to be ignored.
“The lack of commitment to five-borough equity is troubling,” said Councilman Ritchie Torres (D-Bronx).
“If the administration fails to include The Bronx, it will mean perpetrating second-class treatment of an overlooked borough.”
Additional reporting by Lorena Mongelli