Full Bikeshare stations might be a rare sight as long as the government is shut down. Photograph by Flickr user Rich Renomeron.
Metro might be seeing lower revenues and running shorter trains these days, but the federal government’s shutdown might be having the opposite effect on another way to get around the area. Since the shutdown began, Capital Bikeshare has enjoyed some of its busiest days ever, with nearly 10,400 rides a day.
The day the shutdown started, 9,028 members took 10,367 rides, making it the busiest Tuesday in the history of the three-year-old bicycle-sharing system, and the 18th busiest day overall. Those figures were topped yesterday, when 9,104 members hopped on Bikeshare 10,393 times.
Capital Bikeshare is not saying if the spike in ridership is entirely tied to the shutdown—the weather’s been great this week, and Bikeshare does its best business in these conditions—but it seems plenty plausible. Hundreds of thousands of Washington-area residents suddenly have lots of free time to cruise around, and with Bikeshare’s recent expansion into Montgomery County, its potential membership base is as large as its ever been.
Bikeshare’s biggest day ever came back in April, when it recorded more than 11,000 rides on a Saturday full of tourists in town to gawk at the cherry blossom trees. With the shutdown likely to go at least another day, and the summer-like conditions forecasted to last through the weekend, Bikeshare could wind up being one of the few beneficiaries of government inaction.
Benjamin Freed joined Washingtonian in August 2013 and covers politics, business, and media. He was previously the editor of DCist and has also written for Washington City Paper, the New York Times, the New Republic, Slate, and BuzzFeed. He lives in Adams Morgan.
Shutdown Brings Business to Capital Bikeshare
Many residents suddenly have a lot of spare time, and it seems Capital Bikeshare is enjoying the benefits.
Metro might be seeing lower revenues and running shorter trains these days, but the federal government’s shutdown might be having the opposite effect on another way to get around the area. Since the shutdown began, Capital Bikeshare has enjoyed some of its busiest days ever, with nearly 10,400 rides a day.
The day the shutdown started, 9,028 members took 10,367 rides, making it the busiest Tuesday in the history of the three-year-old bicycle-sharing system, and the 18th busiest day overall. Those figures were topped yesterday, when 9,104 members hopped on Bikeshare 10,393 times.
Capital Bikeshare is not saying if the spike in ridership is entirely tied to the shutdown—the weather’s been great this week, and Bikeshare does its best business in these conditions—but it seems plenty plausible. Hundreds of thousands of Washington-area residents suddenly have lots of free time to cruise around, and with Bikeshare’s recent expansion into Montgomery County, its potential membership base is as large as its ever been.
Bikeshare’s biggest day ever came back in April, when it recorded more than 11,000 rides on a Saturday full of tourists in town to gawk at the cherry blossom trees. With the shutdown likely to go at least another day, and the summer-like conditions forecasted to last through the weekend, Bikeshare could wind up being one of the few beneficiaries of government inaction.
Benjamin Freed joined Washingtonian in August 2013 and covers politics, business, and media. He was previously the editor of DCist and has also written for Washington City Paper, the New York Times, the New Republic, Slate, and BuzzFeed. He lives in Adams Morgan.
Most Popular in News & Politics
What It Felt Like for a Virginia Marching Band to Win Metallica’s Contest
What’s IN and OUT in DC Restaurant Trends for 2024
Introducing 8 of DC’s Most Stylish
Best of Washington 2023: Things to Eat, Drink, Do, and Know Right Now
Washingtonian Magazine
May 2024: Great Getaways
View IssueSubscribe
Follow Us on Social
Follow Us on Social
Related
13 Major Concerts and Music Festivals in the DC Area This Spring
Mary Timony on Her Emotional New Album, “Untame the Tiger”
The Beatles in DC: A New Exhibit in Maryland Looks Back on Early Beatlemania
Northern Virginia High School Wins Metallica’s Marching Band Competition
More from News & Politics
Rockville Police Are Searching for Culprits of a $4,500 Pickleball Paddle Heist
Dozens of Vintage Planes Will Fly Over the National Mall This Saturday
PHOTOS: “Rupaul’s Drag Race” Queens Work It at the National Mall
Meet the NIH Detectives Cracking Medicine’s Toughest Cases
5 of DC’s Most Interesting Ideas for Revitalizing Chinatown
A “Corpse Flower” Is Currently in Bloom at the Botanic Garden
How Emma’s Torch Is Changing the Lives of Its Refugee Workers
Former Fiola GM Convicted of Murder Is Now in a Netflix Docuseries