CaBlossoms: lots of folks made use of BikeShare to view DC's cherry blossoms in March. Image by Bossi licensed under Creative Commons.

The Ides of March did not befall bicyclists across the region, as Capital Bikeshare (CaBi) logged 436,946 trips in March, a 50.4% increase from a year before. March’s ridership is the earliest the system has ever passed 400,000 rides and concludes a record-breaking first quarter (Q1) for CaBi. The network’s Q1 totals have surged by 41.6% compared to 2023, and as seen below, ridership has nearly tripled since 2021.

Data from Capital Bikeshare. Image by the author.

CaBi members consistently make up the majority of trips each month, representing 63.7% of all rides in March. E-bikes continue to account for nearly half of all rides, as 49.9% of riders chose the pedal-assisted option over the classic red bikes.

Data from Capital Bikeshare. Image by the author.

The meteoric rise in ridership across the region has caught the attention of many, including former GGWash Executive Director David Alpert, who shared insights in a post on X:

The regional bikesharing network boasts over 770 stations spread across Maryland, DC, and Virginia. Where are these stations, and how is ridership distributed? DC has the most CaBi stations in the region, at 383 and counting, holding 49.7% of the network. Notably, these stations account for the overwhelming majority of rides, as 89.3% of trips in March took place in the District.

While Bikeshare has been booming, Washington has been blooming! Who took CaBi to see the cherry blossoms (or pay their respects to Stumpy) during peak bloom? Find out and check other odd observations in March’s latest Pedal Medals:

What did we miss? Reach out to editor@ggwash.org and let us know what you’d like to see in our monthly breakdowns, ideas for the future of CaBi, missed pun opportunities, or lighthearted Pedal Medals to award.

Since its inception in September 2010, Capital Bikeshare has moved millions of riders around the Greater Washington metro area and is an affordable and efficient mode of transportation for residents and tourists alike. CaBi publishes its system data online each month, providing insights into ridership for the month prior and highlighting the rapid growth in user engagement around the city. All dissemination of this information by Greater Greater Washington is in good-faith compliance with the Capital Bikeshare Data License Agreement.

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Tagged: bicycling, capital bikeshare, dc, maryland, pedestrians, scooters, transit, virginia

Samuel Littauer is a resident of the Woodley Park neighborhood in Washington, DC, and is endlessly curious about the way people engage with their natural and built environments. He is passionate about environmental protection, transit, urban planning, community development, and pestering his pals into moving to the District.