Biking Outpaces Transit Use in DC

Washington, D.C.’s Capital Bikeshare, known as CaBi, continues to see a growth in ridership, reports Travis McIntyre for Greater Greater Washington. “CaBi had its highest ridership year ever in 2023, with 4.5 million trips, and is already up 31% through July of this year compared to the same time period in 2023. Further, shared fleet device program operators—including Lime, Lyft, Spin, and Veo—saw a record-breaking 6.7 million trips in DC in 2023 and have seen a 17% increase so far in 2024 through June.”

Essentially, McIntyre writes, biking in the District is practically a new normal. McIntyre projects that D.C. riders will take close to 14 million trips on shared mobility in 2024 — and that doesn’t include rides taken on personal bikes and other mobility devices. 

While no official number exists, McIntyre notes it could be as high as 1.9 personal trips for every rental trip. “If CaBi were compared to public transit agencies in the region, it would rank in the middle for total ridership, above MARC and below DASH. If the estimate for total bikes+ trips in DC were similarly compared, it would rank well above every transit agency in the region besides WMATA.”

The point, for McIntyre, is that “Bikes+ are mainstream, widespread, and a major player in our region’s transportation system. But we still don’t have a connected and protected bike lane network in the District, or any of its surrounding jurisdictions.”