Train Commuters Moving to Bikeshare in D.C.

"As Metro service has continued to decline in recent years, the region’s system of 3,700 bikes — and counting — has increasingly become a favorite commuting alternative," reports Luz Lazo in the Washington Post. "The number of trips since the beginning of SafeTrack in June increased about 7 percent compared with June to November 2015."

This increase is at least partly due to service interruptions and irregularities suffered by the Metro train service. During the SafeTrack program that will continue for the next year, D.C. Metro lines and stations will be disrupted or closed for maintenance. Some commuters are choosing to bike to more distant stations or avoid the train altogether. "One-day and single-trip fares are also up about 58 percent compared to pre-SafeTrack numbers," Lazo tells us. Other factors that could be causing additional use include improving bike infrastructure in the city and new bike-share facilities particularly around Arlington neighborhood.