Capital Bikeshare hopes to expand access to biking with its new Capital Bikeshare for All program
For some people interesting in biking, there are significant barriers. A major one is the cost of the bike itself as well as routine bike maintenance, security, clothing and other equipment. The introduction of Capital Bikeshare helped lower some of those barriers but the for some, the yearly upfront cost of a yearly or monthly membership is still too high.
The Morning Commute is an occasional look at meetings or other #BikeSpecific discussions and stories happening in the District. It also looks at interesting bike, scooter, or urban related ideas or concepts from other places across the globe that could possibly work here. Again, this isn’t journalism, just fun.
According to a District Department of Transportation (DDOT) press release, the agency will reintroduce Capital Bikeshare E-bikes, which were removed from service nearly a year ago after users complained that the previous bikes suffered with unintended acceleration or poor breaking.
Throughout the spring, Capital Bikeshare will release a total of 1,500 new e-bikes, developed in partnership with Lyft.
Possibly to compete with dockless e-bikes from Jump and Helbiz, the new bikes will allow users to park bikes at bike racks and Cabi Stations.
The press release is a follows:
The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) and its six partner jurisdictions announced that e-bikes will return to the Capital Bikeshare system this spring with a new mobile app experience that will include a hybrid locking technology.
“The return of the e-bikes is part of Mayor Bowser’s ongoing effort to improve active transportation and mobility in the District,” said DDOT Director Jeff Marootian. “These new and improved e-bikes will allow Capital Bikeshare riders to lock the bikes to bike racks at their destination, allowing unprecedented accessibility across all eight wards of the District.”
The 1,500 e-bikes will be added to the existing Capital Bikeshare fleet in a phased roll out throughout the spring. The new e-bikes developed by Lyft will be equipped with a hybrid locking technology, allowing riders to either lock the bikes to one of the District’s 5,000 bike racks for a $1 out-of-station fee per trip; or dock at a Capital Bikeshare station. Capital Bikeshare users, including members, will be charged $1 e-bike fee per trip, in addition to the normal trip fees. The new out-of-station and e-bike fees will cover the additional costs associated with recharging and rebalancing the system when bikes are not docked at a Capital Bikeshare station. These fees will not apply to members in the Community Partners Program, which is Capital Bikeshare’s equity program; or customers riding classic Capital Bikeshare bikes.
Capital Bikeshare has also enhanced the functionality of its app by adding features that allow riders to easily unlock a bike by scanning a QR code; rate their experience with bikes, rides and stations; report service issues; and conveniently manage memberships.
The Morning Commute is an occasional look at meetings or other #BikeSpecific discussions and stories happening in the District. It also looks at interesting bike, scooter, or urban related ideas or concepts from other places across the globe that could possibly work here. Again, this isn’t journalism, just fun.
Today’s commute includes:
The War on Cars continues
Improvements coming to a dangerous intersection
The 14th Street improvement project needs additional improvements
The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) will host an Open House for residents in Ward 5.
According to a DDOT event announcement, the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) will host an Open House for residents in Ward 5 to learn about current and future safety improvement projects that are advancing Mayor Bowser’s Vision Zero and infrastructure goals including the current status of the Metropolitan Branch Trail.
Saturday, February 8, 2020 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM Add to Calendar
This Open House is an opportunity for residents to engage directly with DDOT staff to facilitate one-on-one conversations and receive answers for specific questions. Engaging with DDOT officials is an important way to help build safe infrastructure.
To improve interaction with with DDOT, the meeting will forgo the standard presentation portion allowing residents to come-and-go when they are able without being concerned about missing content.
