E-bikes fueling record-setting local ridership numbers for Capital Bikeshare | ARLnow.com

Battery-powered bikes are helping to propel Capital Bikeshare to record passenger totals in Arlington and across the D.C. area.

In August, ridership on e-bikes for the first time exceeded that of traditional (pedal-only) bicycles in the county and across Capital Bikeshare’s service area, members of the county’s Bicycle Advisory Committee were told Oct. 7.

“It’s a remarkable change of events,” said Judah del Cais, who provided a staff update at the committee’s monthly meeting.

Even more remarkable considering that e-bikes currently constitute only about one-third of Capital Bikeshare’s total stock of bicycles.

“The e-bikes get many more trips per bike per day than the pedal-only bikes, which is leading to the increase in bike ridership overall,” said Tom Hillman, the Capital Bikeshare manager for Arlington County Commuter Services, an arm of the county government.

The e-bike ridership spike comes even though it is more expensive to rent e-bikes, which cost 10 cents to 15 cents per minute of use compared to 5 cents per minute for pedal bikes — with some riders getting the first 45 minutes free for those pedal bikes.

The explosive growth in e-bike use can be traced to early 2023, when Capital Bikeshare began introducing next-generation models it calls “Cosmo.” They feature a more intuitive ride, automatic gear-shifting and brighter front and rear lights.

For the fiscal year ending June 30, rides initiated in Arlington totaled just under 360,000, a 35% increase from the year before and an all-time record, staff told Bicycle Advisory Committee members. Total Arlington members of Bikeshare increased 25% to about 2,400, according to data presented at the committee meeting.

Growth is occurring across the region, as well.

September “was another record-breaking month for the system,” Hillman said. “It was the highest ridership month in the history of Capital Bikeshare, with 10 of the highest ridership days within it.”

The Capital Bikeshare update to Bicycle Advisory Committee members was the first formal presentation in about two years, county officials said. Cynthia Palmer, who heads the committee, called the new data “fascinating.”

The Capital Bikeshare service is jointly owned by a consortium of local governments across the region. Operations are handled by Lyft.

Service began in 2010, and currently there are about 110 docking stations in Arlington, with 26 of them planned for refurbishment/replacement during the current fiscal year.

Capital Bikeshare competes for rider use in Arlington with a number of operators of what are termed “shared-mobility devices.” Private operators of dockless e-scooters and e-bicycles have entered and exited the Arlington market at a rapid pace since the Arlington County government in 2018 permitted operations.

A Northern Virginia native, Scott McCaffrey has four decades of reporting, editing and newsroom experience in the local area plus Florida, South Carolina and the eastern panhandle of West Virginia. He spent 26 years as editor of the Sun Gazette newspaper chain. For Local News Now, he covers government and civic issues in Arlington, Fairfax County and Falls Church.