Capital Bikeshare is metro DC's bikeshare system, with more than 5,000 bikes available at 600 stations across seven jurisdictions: Washington, DC; Arlington, VA; Alexandria, VA; Montgomery County, MD; Prince George's County, MD; Fairfax County, VA; and the City of Falls Church, VA. Capital Bikeshare provides residents and visitors with a convenient, fun and affordable transportation option for getting from Point A to Point B.
Capital Bikeshare, like other bikeshare systems, consists of a fleet of specially designed, sturdy and durable bikes that are locked into a network of docking stations throughout the region. The bikes can be unlocked from any station and returned to any station in the system, making them ideal for one-way trips. People use bikeshare to commute to work or school, run errands, get to appointments or social engagements and more.
Capital Bikeshare is available for use 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Riders have access to a bike at any station across the system.
In August 2008, the District of Columbia became the first city in North America to launch a bikesharing system. SmartBike DC offered 120 bikes at 10 stations in downtown Washington, DC. Approximately 1,600 people joined SmartBike DC during its two years of operation.
Meanwhile, Arlington, VA was working on its own plans for a bikeshare system and involved the District, Alexandria, VA and Montgomery County, MD to collaborate with them. In 2010, Arlington and the District selected an operator and launched Capital Bikeshare on September 20 of that year. The regional system has since grown to serve seven jurisdictions, with 600 stations and 5,000 bikes.
In August 2012, Alexandria, VA launched eight stations, becoming the third member of the Capital Bikeshare community. In May 2013, Montgomery County became the first jurisdiction in Maryland to join the network, with 50 stations serving transit-adjacent areas in Bethesda, Silver Spring and Rockville. In October 2016, Fairfax County launched two station networks in Reston and Tysons. In May of 2018, Capital Bikeshare welcomed Prince George's County, MD to the program. Working together, Washington DC; Arlington, VA; Alexandria, VA; Montgomery County, MD; Prince George's County, MD; and Fairfax County, VA are proud to bring an expansive, multi-jurisdictional bikeshare system to the region.
Capital Bikeshare is operated by Motivate, the global leader in bike share. A full-service bike share operator and technology innovator, Motivate works to re-envision how people experience and move around cities.
Motivate currently manages all of the largest bike share systems in the United States and many of the largest systems in the world, including Bay Wheels (California Bay Area), Citi Bike (New York and Jersey City), Divvy (Chicago), CoGo Bike Share (Columbus, Ohio), Capital Bikeshare (Washington, D.C., Arlington and Alexandria, Va., Montgomery County, Md., and the City of Falls Church, VA), Bluebikes (Boston, Brookline, Cambridge, Everett and Somerville, Mass.), Nice Ride (Minneapolis, MN) and BIKETOWN (Portland, OR).