WASHINGTON — The latest survey on Capital Bikeshare use is out, and it’s showing who rides those big red bikes and why.
According to the survey, prepared by LDA Consulting and Mobility Lab, 65 percent of Capital Bikeshare users hop on the bikes when they’ve got a destination that’s too far to walk. For 64 percent, their trips started or ended at a Metro stop and 77 percent take the bike rather than a cab or other transit because it’s fun.
The survey shows that 85 percent of those answering the survey say they used the bikes on trips related to entertainment. Seventy-four percent said they used the bikes for an occasional commute.
Four out of 10 users don’t have access to a car. The survey says 8 percent of users sold a car since joining the Bikeshare program, and of those, 81 percent said access to Bikeshare played a role.
For many bikeshare users, it’s a money-saver. According to the survey’s reckoning, users saved $710 over the course of a year in travel expenses. And the bikes could be good for business; eight out of 10 users said they were more likely to patronize a business near a Bikeshare station.
As for who rides the red Capital Bikeshare bikes, the study shows that the average rider is younger, white and male, something that Darren Buck, a bicycle program specialist at DDOT says is a concern.
“We’re looking at a number of ways we can use outreach, planning the way we set up the system, to try and attract a demographic that more resembles the entire region.”
WTOP’s Kate Ryan contributed to this report.
