With Metro on a severely-reduced schedule through the end of October, D.C. residents are looking for alternatives to get around — and the District is now partnering with Lyft to provide a free option for those who like pedaling.
Every District resident is now eligible for a free 30-day Capital Bikeshare membership. You’ll be able to ride without paying unlocking and travel fees, but rides over 45 minutes will cost 5 cents per minute for the classic red bike, and 10 cents a minute for the E-bike.
“Bikeshare and trains play a complementary role as essential parts of D.C.’s regional transit network, and the Capital Bikeshare system stands ready to do everything it can to help serve as a backstop to rail during this reduction in Metro service,” Caroline Samponaro, vice president of transit policy at Lyft, said in a statement.
To sign up, log in to the Capital Bikeshare or Lyft Mobile apps and select the “30-day membership for $0” under the “Ride Plans” section. You can find it under the “Pricing” section on the Capital Bikeshare website. Riders will need a valid credit card and phone number to participate.
“It’s one of our efforts to ease the travel disruptions that’s been caused by Metro,” said Everett Lott, acting director with the District Department of Transportation.
“We’re hoping that Metro will get its services back up really soon, but until then, we want to provide some other options. We really want to encourage people to you know, look at all the different types of transit modes that we have available.”
Lott suggested if you don’t want to pedal around the District, look at the DC Circulator and the DC Streetcar as alternatives.
“We have seen some increases in the different modes of transportation,” Lott told WTOP.
“There’s been a lot more traffic on the roads. But we also have noticed that we’ve had more people actually using our bike services. And actually some folks are just walking, you know, taking the time to walk — we’ve had some pretty nice weather.”
Capital Bikeshare has more than 5,000 bikes available at over 650 stations regionwide. You can hop on the bikes in D.C., Arlington County, Alexandria, Fairfax County, Montgomery County and Prince George’s County.
Metro severely reduced its schedule last week after the majority of their train cars were pulled for inspection due to a derailment earlier this month. Trains will be at stations every 15 to 20 minutes on the Red Line, and 20 to 30 minutes on all other lines. They will use the reduced schedule until at least Oct. 31.
