To provide the best possible service to riders and to maintain the system's infrastructure, Capital Bikeshare's pricing structure will change on Oct. 1, 2021. Annual membership will cost riders $95 each year for new members and will apply to all renewals after that date.
Also beginning on Oct. 1, CaBi members will have unlimited 45-minute Classic rides, up from 30 minutes. If you ride longer than 45 minutes, you’ll pay $0.05 per minute after the initial ride.
CaBi members will also get more benefits, including no unlock fees, speedy ebikes at a discount, and three guest passes to share with friends and family each year.
Here’s why we’re updating prices.
Capital Bikeshare is expanding and modernizing to fit your needs.
Capital Bikeshare is the oldest bikeshare system in the nation. It started in 2010, with a little over 100 stations and 1100 bikes in the District of Columbia and Arlington County, Virginia. Since then, Capital Bikeshare has grown to over 600 stations and 5,000 bikes. Riders can now find bikes in Washington, D.C., Maryland (Prince George's County and Montgomery County), and Virginia (Arlington County, Fairfax County, the City of Alexandria, and the City of Falls Church). To continue upgrading and expanding across the DC Metropolitan region, we're increasing the cost of annual membership and changing to per-minute charges on all ebike trips and nonmember rides. We're also adding new perks for CaBi members!
Prices were updated based on rider feedback.
Some recent additions to the system, including 600 ebikes last year, combined with replacing aging stations and other infrastructure, have increased operating costs. We thoroughly reviewed the price structure of other bikeshare systems across the country, including the bikeshare systems in Chicago, New York, San Francisco, and Boston. After doing the math, we found that a modest increase in the annual membership fee would help us modernize the system and improve service while keeping CaBi as affordable as possible.
We heard your feedback after the initial release of the price change during the public comment period and made changes accordingly. Your participation in the process shaped this new pricing structure.
Adding ebikes to the CaBi system is expensive—but worth it.
When we introduced ebikes as an option for CaBi riders last year, we expected an increase in operating costs and deemed the investment worthwhile. And we were right! Ebikes are very popular and typically generate twice as many trips compared to classic bikes. The cost to keep ebikes charged and in good working order ain't cheap. We love offering riders flexible parking options for ebikes, but picking them up outside of a docking station makes the process less efficient and more costly. That's why parking ebikes at any Capital Bikeshare station is free, and you have the option to pay a $2 fee to park anywhere in the service area.
Like Go-Go music and Mumbo sauce, Capital Bikeshare is a staple that plans to endure.
One of the original goals of the CaBi system is to get people to take more trips using a bike—and that’s still a goal today. Some of the stations have been in place since we started in 2010. These stations have reached the end of their utility and need to be replaced and modernized. We'll continue to replace stations with more reliable, easier to use, and aesthetically pleasing stations as necessary to serve you, the rider. Your investment, through membership and single rides, helps us to continue this work.
We've streamlined the cost of bikeshare, so you’ll know how much each ride will cost you.
We've eliminated usage fees for going over the initially included minutes on classic bike rides and switched to per-minute charges. Like fines for a late return of a library book, charges for going over the initial ride time incentivize riders to return bikes promptly, making the bike available for the next rider.
The change to per-minute fees also makes it easier for you to know what to expect at the end of each ride and ensures that you only pay for the time you ride. Since ebikes cost more to operate, the per-minute charge is higher, and there are no included minutes. Members, however, can zip around town for considerably less on our speedy ebikes. We hope that the per-minute charges will also help you compare Capital Bikeshare to other transportation modes in real-time.
We’re not changing the Capital Bikeshare for All program. At all.
Capital Bikeshare for All is our low-cost bike membership available to local residents who are 18+ and qualify for a state or federal assistance program. It includes discounted membership for $5/year, free ebike upgrades and unlimited 60-minute rides. Just as before, we’re offering Capital Bikeshare for All memberships to eligible riders. To learn how to enroll, visit: https://www.capitalbikeshare.com/pricing/for-all.
Thank you for being a part of the Capital Bikeshare community. See full details on price changes below.
| Prices (effective Oct. 1, 2021) |
|---|
| Annual Membership: $95/year |
| Capital Bikeshare for All Annual Membership: $5/year |
| 30-day membership: $20 |
| 24-hour pass: $8 |
| Member | Non-Member | |
|---|---|---|
| Unlock fee for classic bikes | $0 | $1 |
| Included minutes for classic bikes | 45 | 0 |
| Per-minute rate for classic bikes | $0.05 / minute | $0.05 / minute |
| Unlock fee for ebikes | $0 | $1 |
| Included minutes for ebikes | 0 | 0 |
| Per-minute rate for ebikes | $0.10 / minute | $0.15 / minute |