annual commitment. A reduced-fare pass costs $60, or $5 per month with an annual commitment, and is available only to NYCHA residents who are 16 or older, members of selected credit unions, or recipients of SNAP benefits. The original price of a Citi Bike annual membership was $95 but jumped to $149 in 2014. Purchasers using a Citibank card receive a 10% discount when purchasing annual memberships through the Citi Bike website. Annual pass members receive a key and can make trips of up to 45 minutes without added charge, after which they pay $2.50 for each additional 15 minutes. Initial prices for daily and weekday passes sold at Citi Bike docking stations were $9.95 for a daily pass and $25 for a weekly pass. Prices were eventually changed to $12 for a daily pass and $24 for a three-day pass. Trips using these passes are limited to 30 minutes before the rider is charged an additional fee of $4 per 15 minutes. The 8.875% New York State sales tax is added to the cost of all passes. , day pass users pay an additional $0.26 per minute if they upgrade to an electric bike. For riders who do not buy passes, a single ride costs $4.49 for 30 minutes, plus an additional charge if the bike is not docked within 30 minutes. Trips on electric bikes cost an additional $2, or 50 cents for reduced-fare members. All payments are by credit card; Wageworks and Transitchek prepaid commuter cards are not accepted, as bike sharing programs do not qualify as eligible commuting expenses under US tax law. Criticism When Citi Bike first launched, at least one bike shop owner said that he was forced to close down his business in 2014 due to the popularity of Citi Bike. Dorothy Rabinowitz of The Wall Street Journal said, a few days after the system opened, that under the "autocratic" mayoralty of Michael Bloomberg, "we now look at a city whose best neighborhoods are absolutely begrimed by these blazing blue Citibank bikes." Some people disliked the bright blue color and branding of the bicycles, while others pointed out that the stations blocked fire hydrants on the street. The concrete wheel stops at the end of each kiosk also posed a hazard, acting as a sudden, sharp speed bump. Another complaint was that bike stations take up car parking space for each eight bikes,