Capital Bikeshare Pedals Into College Park

College Park commuters are seeing red, but it’s all good. The recent arrival of the familiar cherry-hued Capital Bikeshare rental bikes and e-bikes at three locations on and around the University of Maryland campus have signaled a new option for getting around campus and around town.

Installation of the new Capital Bikeshare docking stations around College Park, which feature both battery-powered and traditional bikes, wrapped up in December, and officials expect a surge of ridership as temperatures warm up this semester.

The stations at the College Park Metro Station, at the Hotel at the University of Maryland on Baltimore Avenue and on Guilford Drive near Trader Joe’s are part of a system that covers about 180 square miles of Washington, D.C., and its environs, with more than 700 docking stations and 6,000 cycles.

The university's Department of Transportation Services (DOTS) worked with Prince George's County for several years to roll out the Capital Bikeshare service, which offers single trips, daily passes and a $95 annual membership. UMD enrolled in Capital Bikeshare’s membership program, which lowered the annual membership price to $25 a year for UMD students, faculty and staff. Members have access to year-round unlimited 45-minute rides on classic bikes, 10-cents-per-minute rides on e-bikes and personalized membership keys, which make it easier to unlock a bike and get pedaling.

Prince George’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Program Manager Tiffany Jennings, who also manages the county’s Capital Bikeshare program, said riders are free to use the sustainable, affordable wheels for any trip within the company’s jurisdiction. She said riders should consider the new mobility option in the context of Capital Bikeshare’s “first mile, last mile” model. Riders pick up a bike from a docking station and ride to a nearby bus or Metro station, the “first mile” of their commute. Then, grabbing another bike wherever they get off the bus or train rounds out the trip. For College Park, this model will apply to commuters traveling to campus from the College Park Metro station and back.

“We’re happy to say that this is the first time since 2019 that we were able to install seven new bikeshare docking stations, and College Park has three of them,” Jennings said.

Cycling and micromobility at UMD recently switched to a higher gear, thanks to the construction of designated bike lanes on Baltimore Avenue and major roadways across campus last summer. The University of Maryland currently holds Gold status for biking accessibility and resources by the League of American Bicyclists. Marta Woldu M.C.P. ’22, assistant director of sustainability initiatives at DOTS, hopes the addition of Capital Bikeshare along with other bike infrastructure improvements will boost this ranking to Platinum.

Local resident Dennis Herrera relies on Capital Bikeshare's electric bikes for his commute home to Riverdale Park, Md. after workouts at Crunch Fitness in College Park. Starting from the Guilford Drive station, the two-mile journey takes him just 10 minutes on an e-bike.

“I ride fast,” Herrera said. “The fact that this station is here is way more convenient because I typically get the e-bike in Riverdale Park to come here, and luckily now they have these stations.”

Unlike the Veo e-bikes and e-scooters, which allow riders to end their trip at any bike rack or parking area around campus, Capital Bikeshare’s cycles must be returned to one of the company’s stations after a ride, making it especially suitable for a quick trip from campus to the Metro or to the store and back. Bikes can be unlocked with CaBi, the company’s app, or with the Lyft app; the rideshare program is Capital Bikeshare’s vendor and handles bike maintenance, website management and marketing.

Capital Bikeshare is owned, managed and funded by its eight participating jurisdictions: Prince George’s, Montgomery, Arlington, Alexandria and Fairfax counties along with the cities of Fairfax andFalls Church in Virginia as well as D.C.

“I mean it when I say Capital Bikeshare is for everyone,” Woldu said. “I think they'll be really popular among students.”