Just how germy are Citi Bikes and other surfaces many New Yorkers touch on any given day?
According to a new Men’s Health article and video, Citi Bike is way grimier than most in the city. Germier than subway poles? Yes. Germier than a door handle at Grand Central? Yes. Germier than a LINKNYC kiosk? Yes. Germier than a handle at a Starbucks? Not by much, but yes.
Matt Bean, the magazine’s editor-in-chief, took to the city’s streets and tested various public spots using a germ detector.
The magazine reports the germ detector rates everything on a scale, with the lower score based on lower levels of bacteria found on the surface. Men's Health also noted anything with a score of 50 or higher shouldn’t touch your food.
The grimiest surface Bean tested were the handle bars of a Citi Bike, which recorded a score of 1,512. To put it into context, a subway pole recorded in the video got a score of 35. A LinkNYC console scored an 807; a taxi handle received a rating of 424. The second-most germy surface Bean tested was a Starbucks door handle, which scored just under 1,100.
