Serving the GW Community since 1904

The GW Hatchet

AN INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SERVING THE GW COMMUNITY SINCE 1904

The GW Hatchet

Serving the GW Community since 1904

The GW Hatchet

NEWSLETTER
Sign up for our twice-weekly newsletter!

Officials name senior vice president, chief of staff
By Fiona Riley, Assistant News Editor • March 26, 2024

Capital Bikeshare releases dockless electric bikes into D.C. after more than yearlong hiatus

Capital+Bikeshare+tweeted+that+the+companys+bike+stations+would+be+offline+Sunday+night+as+the+company+removed+all+D.C.+stations+from+a+map+on+its+website+that+displays+each+bikeshare+posting+throughout+the+DMV.
File Photo by Camille Desanto | Assistant Photo Editor
Capital Bikeshare tweeted that the company’s bike stations would be “offline” Sunday night as the company removed all D.C. stations from a map on its website that displays each bikeshare posting throughout the DMV.

Capital Bikeshare released dockless electric bikes back into the D.C. area Wednesday after more than a year of withholding the bikes from the public.

The electric bikes were removed from the streets in April 2019 after riders reported issues about the strong force of the front brakes. The electric bikes are black – unlike the traditional red ones – and can be parked at any bike station for free or at public bike racks using a cable lock attached to the bike, according to a District Department of Transportation release.

The electric bikes are facilitated through Lyft and each electric bike costs $1 to unlock, the release states. DDOT stated parking the electric bikes at public bike racks will cost an additional dollar, according to the release.

DCist reported that the bikeshare system will sanitize all “high-contact” areas on a bike after a bike arrives in the depot as a precaution against COVID-19. Contact surfaces in a van used to transport bikes will also be disinfected at the start of a staff member’s shift, according to DCist.

All Capital Bikeshare stations closed for a night on May 31 to ensure the bikes would not be damaged during protests over the killing of George Floyd and police brutality.

Mayor Muriel Bowser said in a statement Tuesday that Capital Bikeshare is a “cornerstone of our transportation infrastructure,” according to DCist.

More to Discover
Donate to The GW Hatchet