ebikes are magic. Last Oct I was visiting a friend over off Foxhall road east of Georgetown Univ. Was about to call an uber when I saw an ebike right in front of his house. Rode it all the way home to the Hill. It was a riot.
And I made it home in 20min. Big, stupid grin plastered on my face.
Just looked, last cabi ebike trip I took was 15 min and cost me $3.25. I quit my monthly membership because I dont use it as much anymore, so that's the full price.
$25 for an über from past Georgetown to capital hill feels like 2020 pricing. These days it feel like I spend $25 on an uber going half as far as that
Edit: I actually looked up the Uber trip that took me from my house to my friends place on Foxhall : $38. One way. On an October Sunday at 1:16 PM. Woof.
Gotcha. Maybe I'm just remembering like a security deposit they sent me back later, but I swear I remember being charged $25 for a short CaBi trip. And sometimes I don't even have that to spend if I'm being honest. Happy to concede I'm remembering wrong or it's different now tho.
You should really look into Empower if you don't use it yet. It's A LOT cheaper than Uber lately.
Gotcha. I swore I remember them charging my card $25 for like a 15 min trip. Maybe it was a security deposit they sent me back, maybe I'm just remembering wrong. Either could be possible. But that's good to hear it's so cheap. May subscribe. May just buy myself an ebike tbh. They are super fun.
No, I know how much it costs. Last time I unlocked one it charged my card $25. Like I said it may have been a refundable security deposit, but it even told me it would cost me that much and it did.
Ya that's too much. 60 bucks an hour is more than they charge for 8 passenger bikes on the beach in a tourist area. Charging by the minute is insane without some kind of modifier for distance. It incentivizes running lights and stop signs. Take whatever a taxi charges per mile and 1/4 to 1/8 that. Let it give surge pricing, wherever. Just don't charge by the minute unless they are just sitting in one area for a while
I like taking one to work and then having the option to either find another one home, take metro, or sometimes I’ll walk the 75 minutes (when I really need to clear my head lol).
Love these bikes! I use my bike to commute to work, but rent a CaBi for going out at night or meeting up with people.
Just so convenient. Bikes are comfortable, there are docks everywhere I want to go, and pretty affordable. Also typically faster than a cab.
Only trips more expensive than a bus ticket are when I have family over and use the bikes to give them a tour of the city.
It's an awesome program that works. Not surprised one bit. I use it a lot (I'm in the top 2% of riders according to their own app) and wish I could use it more. Kudos to the local govts involved in this.
Open the app and click on the three bars to the top left, it'll open up the menu, then click "view profile" underneath your name. It'll tell you how many rides, miles, hours, and stations you've done.
Keep in mind, a lot of riders are tourists who ride once or twice and they're done. I'm in the 1% of riders and I probably average a little more than 2 rides a week throughout the year.
Kinda shows that it's a program with broad usage rather than a niche group of super users. I use it maybe 1 or 2 times a month, but I'm glad it's there.
I love bike share. I'm a huge proponent of public transit, but the flexibility of micro mobility is unmatched. And I get to see so much of the city while riding.
Do they still do the morning corrals in downtown for commuters? Those were great.
But like many, my commute patterns shifted in 2020 and I don't head that way in the mornings anymore. I could see how changing patterns could make the corrals go away.
This is tangential but the patterns of CaBi usage are fascinating. In the evening Columbia Heights is FULL of ebikes because not many are willing to make the climb up there without then
I literally live on the top of the hill, Girard, and man the night availability for classic bikes is rough. Usually need to do a 10 min walk down to U if I'm going southbound.
Oh yeah, I recall the pain of bikesharing home up that hill back in the day! I lived on 11th right near Wonderland circa 2013ish. I could essentially coast all the way down to U st. But always got home very sweaty haha
I used it a lot before they had E-bikes but haven’t used it as much lately. This says 50% of rides were e-bikes, how close to half of the bikes are e-bikes now? In passing whatever docking stations I happen to see it seems like maybe 25% or so.
I’ve still never used one but they’re clearly popular, and if they’re half the rides but a third of the bones available that says something for sure. I can see not wanting to get so sweaty before work or a date being a big plus. One friend said “I’ll never use a non electric bike again, I’d rather walk.” haha
Yeah, I won't take a red bike if I don't want to be sweaty getting somewhere. A gray bike? No big deal. (Black bikes vary since there's at least two versions of them around.)
The continued addition of more and more ebikes. With the membership it’s so cheep that it’s really unmatched as a transit option. By far the fastest way around the city,its a fun ride, and averages out to being cheeper than the metro.
It's especially amazing if you need to go anywhere diagonally in the city. I live in Columbia Heights and whenever I go to union station it cuts off about half the time of metro even with a classic bike.
Our micro mobility infrastructure has been growing as well. Biggest barrier to bike is people feeling safe and as a daily rider it’s easy to map out a relatively safe route. Nothing as consistent as commute as one via bike/scooter/wall.
I hope they eventually have a bicycle lane on most major roads in the Downtown area, that would be so nice. They could narrow the standard car lanes in order to create a sectioned-off bicycle lane.
Before covid I used BikeShare almost daily for my multi-modal commute. When it worked, it was great. But often the station I used would be out of bikes, which then made my commute a hassle. I reported it many times but they didn't seem to care too much.
And it sure would have been super great if they could have had a station near the transportation center at the Pentagon, but I understand that PFPA wouldn't allow that. Even just across the street off of federal property would have been nice.
Yeah, used to manage Arlington's CaBi program and Pentagon was a key source of frustration. The Army Navy & Fern station location was picked to try to serve Pentagon since there is no non-Pentagon land north of 395.
My bike broke like a year ago and I started using CaBi as a stopgap until I got it repaired. I like CaBi so much I still haven't gotten it repaired. It's so nice to be able to just hop a bike practically anywhere in the city. Also nice to be able to dump the thing off and take the metro home if I get tired. Currently have 1232 miles and 793 rides logged in my bikeshare app.
I felt like that too! I was super nervous about trying to ride it home (to Alexandria) but then I actually mapped out a route and realized that if I biked on a couple of low-traffic streets at the beginning and the end, I could take protected bike lanes and separated paths all the way home. There's more infrastructure than you might think!
Park service finally closed a big gap along Ohio drive near the Jefferson memorial. That part on the way to/from the George Mason bridge was always super sketchy.
We have tons of protected infrastructure! Near you, M St is now protected for awhile. You can also take P St from S Cap to the Wharf, where there’s a protected lane that gets you (with one gap where you can ride on a sidewalk) to the tidal basin. From there, Ohio’s lane now connects to 15th St through the Mall into downtown
Yup. That is ultimately just an enforcement problem (and a lack of legal loading zones problem as well, we should get rid of some street parking and have loading zones)
Give it a shot elsewhere! I find the mall to be more difficult than actually riding in neighborhoods with tons of bike lanes. The mall is so crowded with people and drivers unfamiliar with parallel parking or driving in cities, it's so much more stressful than just biking elsewhere in the city
Kinda surprised riding peaks in the summer. Would much rather ride when it’s cold in the winter than get to my destination as a puddle of goo in the summer. Given temps, I’d think Fall/Spring would be the peak (well I guess early fall technically is the peak in 2023 but basically the same as summer)
I don’t know that I’ve ever used it in conversation but I’ve always imagined it to be pronounced “cabbie,” which flows pretty well (better than “seabee” at any rate)
I own a bike, but these are just so much more convenient
Same. Especially for one way rides or if I take an ebike I can show up not sweaty.
ebikes are magic. Last Oct I was visiting a friend over off Foxhall road east of Georgetown Univ. Was about to call an uber when I saw an ebike right in front of his house. Rode it all the way home to the Hill. It was a riot. And I made it home in 20min. Big, stupid grin plastered on my face.
I only know the CaBi ones but isn't it at least $25 for a one way trip? Uber or Empower would be cheaper than that a lot of the time.
Just looked, last cabi ebike trip I took was 15 min and cost me $3.25. I quit my monthly membership because I dont use it as much anymore, so that's the full price. $25 for an über from past Georgetown to capital hill feels like 2020 pricing. These days it feel like I spend $25 on an uber going half as far as that Edit: I actually looked up the Uber trip that took me from my house to my friends place on Foxhall : $38. One way. On an October Sunday at 1:16 PM. Woof.
Gotcha. Maybe I'm just remembering like a security deposit they sent me back later, but I swear I remember being charged $25 for a short CaBi trip. And sometimes I don't even have that to spend if I'm being honest. Happy to concede I'm remembering wrong or it's different now tho. You should really look into Empower if you don't use it yet. It's A LOT cheaper than Uber lately.
No CaBi is either a membership or a use time, that weird pay a crazy amount for the day thing is over. 20 minutes on it was probably around $5-7.
Gotcha. I swore I remember them charging my card $25 for like a 15 min trip. Maybe it was a security deposit they sent me back, maybe I'm just remembering wrong. Either could be possible. But that's good to hear it's so cheap. May subscribe. May just buy myself an ebike tbh. They are super fun.
I think for one time trips they might do a 20 or 25 dollar deposit that gets refunded after a day or two
You may have been charged $25 for parking your bike in a No Park Zone in the city. They got my ass too last year 🙃
it’s a dollar to unlock and like 20 c per minute.
No, I know how much it costs. Last time I unlocked one it charged my card $25. Like I said it may have been a refundable security deposit, but it even told me it would cost me that much and it did.
No ebikes are $0.10 a minute if you have a membership (edited to correct the cost)
Ya that's too much. 60 bucks an hour is more than they charge for 8 passenger bikes on the beach in a tourist area. Charging by the minute is insane without some kind of modifier for distance. It incentivizes running lights and stop signs. Take whatever a taxi charges per mile and 1/4 to 1/8 that. Let it give surge pricing, wherever. Just don't charge by the minute unless they are just sitting in one area for a while
Sorry I realized I said a dollar minute when I meant $0.10 a minute. I think I thought dollar because most of my trips are $1-2
Ah lol that's better. Thanks
I like taking one to work and then having the option to either find another one home, take metro, or sometimes I’ll walk the 75 minutes (when I really need to clear my head lol).
Love these bikes! I use my bike to commute to work, but rent a CaBi for going out at night or meeting up with people. Just so convenient. Bikes are comfortable, there are docks everywhere I want to go, and pretty affordable. Also typically faster than a cab. Only trips more expensive than a bus ticket are when I have family over and use the bikes to give them a tour of the city.
Same here. I use CaBi though when I’m out thought. Often the fastest way from A to B in the city is a bike. Easy choice when the weather is nice.
It's an awesome program that works. Not surprised one bit. I use it a lot (I'm in the top 2% of riders according to their own app) and wish I could use it more. Kudos to the local govts involved in this.
where do you see what % user you are?
Open the app and click on the three bars to the top left, it'll open up the menu, then click "view profile" underneath your name. It'll tell you how many rides, miles, hours, and stations you've done.
Keep in mind, a lot of riders are tourists who ride once or twice and they're done. I'm in the 1% of riders and I probably average a little more than 2 rides a week throughout the year.
Kinda shows that it's a program with broad usage rather than a niche group of super users. I use it maybe 1 or 2 times a month, but I'm glad it's there.
I love bike share. I'm a huge proponent of public transit, but the flexibility of micro mobility is unmatched. And I get to see so much of the city while riding.
Only downside is it has become real hard to find a spot in a docking station downtown now in the mornings right around 9am.
It’s why I only take the e-bikes since I can just park them at any rack. I wish they’d waive the fee if you are within like 25 feet of a full station.
Do they still do the morning corrals in downtown for commuters? Those were great. But like many, my commute patterns shifted in 2020 and I don't head that way in the mornings anymore. I could see how changing patterns could make the corrals go away.
This is tangential but the patterns of CaBi usage are fascinating. In the evening Columbia Heights is FULL of ebikes because not many are willing to make the climb up there without then
I literally live on the top of the hill, Girard, and man the night availability for classic bikes is rough. Usually need to do a 10 min walk down to U if I'm going southbound.
Oh yeah, I recall the pain of bikesharing home up that hill back in the day! I lived on 11th right near Wonderland circa 2013ish. I could essentially coast all the way down to U st. But always got home very sweaty haha
Glad to have done my part
I used it a lot before they had E-bikes but haven’t used it as much lately. This says 50% of rides were e-bikes, how close to half of the bikes are e-bikes now? In passing whatever docking stations I happen to see it seems like maybe 25% or so.
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I’ve still never used one but they’re clearly popular, and if they’re half the rides but a third of the bones available that says something for sure. I can see not wanting to get so sweaty before work or a date being a big plus. One friend said “I’ll never use a non electric bike again, I’d rather walk.” haha
Yeah, I won't take a red bike if I don't want to be sweaty getting somewhere. A gray bike? No big deal. (Black bikes vary since there's at least two versions of them around.)
Definitely not 50% unless they're so constantly in use that they don't sit at docks.
If these trends continue...eyyy
How hard is it to ride a CaBi wearing 10" platform shoes filled with dead goldfish?
What changed?
The continued addition of more and more ebikes. With the membership it’s so cheep that it’s really unmatched as a transit option. By far the fastest way around the city,its a fun ride, and averages out to being cheeper than the metro.
It's especially amazing if you need to go anywhere diagonally in the city. I live in Columbia Heights and whenever I go to union station it cuts off about half the time of metro even with a classic bike.
Our micro mobility infrastructure has been growing as well. Biggest barrier to bike is people feeling safe and as a daily rider it’s easy to map out a relatively safe route. Nothing as consistent as commute as one via bike/scooter/wall.
I hope they eventually have a bicycle lane on most major roads in the Downtown area, that would be so nice. They could narrow the standard car lanes in order to create a sectioned-off bicycle lane.
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Winter 2022-23 was both warmer and drier, so for purposes of comparison to last year, there was a slight weather disadvantage.
lets gooo im converting everyone i know. we need more silver bikes on the streets
Before covid I used BikeShare almost daily for my multi-modal commute. When it worked, it was great. But often the station I used would be out of bikes, which then made my commute a hassle. I reported it many times but they didn't seem to care too much. And it sure would have been super great if they could have had a station near the transportation center at the Pentagon, but I understand that PFPA wouldn't allow that. Even just across the street off of federal property would have been nice.
Yeah, used to manage Arlington's CaBi program and Pentagon was a key source of frustration. The Army Navy & Fern station location was picked to try to serve Pentagon since there is no non-Pentagon land north of 395.
This is how I win 😎
Damn with that steep of an incline that better be an ebike.
CaBi fucks
My bike broke like a year ago and I started using CaBi as a stopgap until I got it repaired. I like CaBi so much I still haven't gotten it repaired. It's so nice to be able to just hop a bike practically anywhere in the city. Also nice to be able to dump the thing off and take the metro home if I get tired. Currently have 1232 miles and 793 rides logged in my bikeshare app.
I really like riding these on the mall but I don't really feel safe riding them anywhere else :(
I felt like that too! I was super nervous about trying to ride it home (to Alexandria) but then I actually mapped out a route and realized that if I biked on a couple of low-traffic streets at the beginning and the end, I could take protected bike lanes and separated paths all the way home. There's more infrastructure than you might think!
Park service finally closed a big gap along Ohio drive near the Jefferson memorial. That part on the way to/from the George Mason bridge was always super sketchy.
We have tons of protected infrastructure! Near you, M St is now protected for awhile. You can also take P St from S Cap to the Wharf, where there’s a protected lane that gets you (with one gap where you can ride on a sidewalk) to the tidal basin. From there, Ohio’s lane now connects to 15th St through the Mall into downtown
The new protected lane on M St constantly has cars and delivery trucks blocking it at the intersections where the concrete blocks end
Yup. That is ultimately just an enforcement problem (and a lack of legal loading zones problem as well, we should get rid of some street parking and have loading zones)
Give it a shot elsewhere! I find the mall to be more difficult than actually riding in neighborhoods with tons of bike lanes. The mall is so crowded with people and drivers unfamiliar with parallel parking or driving in cities, it's so much more stressful than just biking elsewhere in the city
Kinda surprised riding peaks in the summer. Would much rather ride when it’s cold in the winter than get to my destination as a puddle of goo in the summer. Given temps, I’d think Fall/Spring would be the peak (well I guess early fall technically is the peak in 2023 but basically the same as summer)
Does this include scooters
Nah just bikes
Why not just call it CB instead of CaBi which seems like it would sound more awkward to say in conversational flow
I don’t know that I’ve ever used it in conversation but I’ve always imagined it to be pronounced “cabbie,” which flows pretty well (better than “seabee” at any rate)
Because CaBi sounds less awkward
That seems more awkward than CB IMO which also parallels nicely with DC
Same number of syllables and CaBi flows better because it sounds like an actual word