Josh Moskowitz (I hope I spelled that right) with Capital Bikeshare was at the Bicycle Advisory Council meeting last night, where he reported on some statistics of the program thus far and that the system continues to be used at a rate higher than they expected. He also said that if DC will change the law to allow for ads on CaBi stations, it would likely result in more money for expansion. They're working on the legislation, and once it's ready, cyclists should be prepared to support it.
Here are the numbers:
- CaBi has about 5300 members.
- They've had over 200,000 trips and are closing fast on 250,000.
- They've seen a 30% rise in ridership since October despite winter (and possibly because of the Winter Warrior Contest. For those wondering how Michael Hurley won, Moskowitz reported that Hurley rides very short trips. So it may be that he rides for 5 minutes, checks in a bike and then checks one out).
- The center of the DC area is the busiest, with a lot of people in Columbia Heights using CaBi to commute to work.
- 99% of trips by members are shorter than 30 minutes. For non-members 92% are less than 30 minutes.
He also reported that they are planning to run a CaBi Corral at the Cherry Blossom Festival - which will be the first time they've done that since starting.
They've had no discussion about relocating or rightsizing stations due to underuse, but he notes they might have to have that conversation at some point.
They're working on legislation that would allow advertising on the stations (which they're designed for). Doing so would create a revenue stream that could support a massive expansion. Barclays, for example, paid $40M over 5 years to sponsor London's bike share - though they got naming rights, and were allowed to set the color scheme for the system, uniforms and even bike lanes, so we probably can't get something like that. [Allowing bikeshare to sell ads should become a legislative priority for the BAC].
They've been approached by several 3rd parties - including developers, government agencies, condo boards and other housing - about buying stations; and their lawyers are working on the agreements for these partnerships.
As for the spring, they're expecting to be busy.
When is Capital Bikeshare going to add the proposed stations downtown. I expected it to happen after SmartBike was officially sunsetted around Jan 1 yet nothing happened. Even the press release I read about a March expansion to Rosslyn did not mention the ETA for downtown stations.
For the record I'm talking about 4th & E, 7th & Indiana, 8th & F, 12th & G, 14th & D, etc...
Posted by: Paul | March 03, 2011 at 10:59 AM
I asked Chris Holben about it and he said "spring". I have found myself often inconvenienced by these missing stations. I say send them an email. Squeeky wheel...
Posted by: washcycle | March 03, 2011 at 11:05 AM
I figured Mr. Hurley was just hopscotching CaBi stations, but hey, he did an awesome job even if he did mathematically rule me out from winning after about two weeks.
Posted by: guest82 | March 03, 2011 at 11:23 AM
Most of the top cyclists daisy-chained short rides in the contest. That's the only way to rack up large numbers of rides each day (unless someone had the time and energy to ride 10 hrs. every day).
It figures that few people are going to take trips over 30 minutes. Doing so on a regular basis can get very expensive. I've miscalculated a couple times and got tagged with the extra $1.50 fee.
Posted by: Michael H. | March 03, 2011 at 11:45 AM
For those wondering how Michael Hurley won, Moskowitz reported that Hurley rides very short trips. So it may be that he rides for 5 minutes, checks in a bike and then checks one out)
That was always kind of assumed, right. It was great as a profile-raising stunt, but it wasn't exactly a fair test of (wo)manly endurance, etc...
Posted by: oboe | March 03, 2011 at 12:47 PM
perhaps next year the winter warrior contest could be updated so that a trip does not count unless you have been bikeless for at least 10 minutes.. that way going to and from the grocery store would count as two trips, but re-checking the bike on the way to the store won't.
Posted by: guest82 | March 03, 2011 at 01:26 PM
CaBi gained some benefits from the contest. The bikes weren't sitting around unused all winter. I think it's probably a little better for the bikes to have some use than to sit idle throughout the cold winter. (I haven't quite figured out how. But I'm sure I'll think of something eventually.)
At least the contest might have helped to keep the bike seats warm for non-contest participants. Maybe.
Posted by: Michael H. | March 03, 2011 at 01:42 PM
@Michael H.
I agree. It also helped gain visibility and therefore hopefully support for the system. If everyone just saw the bikes sitting unused they may think it is a waste. Seeing bikes in use, especially during winter, helped their visibility. There was a week that went by where someone didn't ask me about the bikes or how it worked.
Posted by: guest82 | March 03, 2011 at 01:48 PM
*wasn't a week, rather
Posted by: guest82 | March 03, 2011 at 01:48 PM
By a Cabi Corral, do you mean a temporary station for Cabi users attending the festival, or do you mean a general bike valet service that Cabi will run, or something else? I suspect the first option but am unsure.
Thanks again for the great job you do!
Posted by: antibozo | March 03, 2011 at 08:22 PM
The first. I believe they rope off an area and have a bunch of CaBi bikes and people who staff it. You can just hand them your bike and they check it in with a handheld device (or something). So there is no limit to how many they can check in.
Posted by: washcycle | March 03, 2011 at 09:10 PM
Sweet. Thanks! :^)
Posted by: antibozo | March 03, 2011 at 09:38 PM