CapMetro Ushers in a New Era for MetroBike to Improve Austin’s Bike Share System
The ten-year contract will replace the bike share fleet, docks, stations, and app to expand both the availability and accessibility of the service
AUSTIN, TX —
CapMetro announced Monday, January 29, a partnership with PBSC Urban Solutions, Inc. to update and expand MetroBike, Austin's bike-sharing program. The contract is an integral part of the partnership between CapMetro and the City of Austin, aimed at implementing a $20.6 million expansion plan for the bikeshare system.
The contract leverages an $11.3 million Transportation Alternative Set-Aside (TASA) grant awarded to the City of Austin in October 2023.
“This is a key piece of the puzzle we need to start building one of the country’s best bikeshare systems,” said Dottie Watkins, President & CEO at CapMetro. “This investment in our bike share program will bring better flexibility and access for riders to connect to the larger web of mobility in Austin transit network.”
This contract will enable CapMetro to replace and expand the 80 MetroBike stations, 1,000 docks, and 800 bicycles focused in downtown Austin, tripling the size of the bike-share system.
Additionally, plans to enhance MetroBike include completely transitioning the full bicycle fleet to electric-assist bicycles (“e-bikes”). Currently, only 43% of the MetroBike fleet are electric-assist bikes, with the remainder made up of traditional manual bicycles.
The MetroBike system is one of the best and most affordable ways for people living and working in and visiting Austin to make their short-and medium-length trips more enjoyable and sustainable. Improving the reach and user experience of the system, further integrating it with our bus and rail system, and fully electrifying the fleet will get people to doctor’s appointments, school, work, and your nearest taco shop with the ease of a tap or your phone app.
Since its launch in December 2013, MetroBike’s popularity—especially among university students—has increased as the transportation mode of choice and a key piece of Austin’s transit toolkit. MetroBike usage has continued to steadily grow since 2019, from less than 5,000 to 12,000 per month during the pandemic. With the addition of e-bikes to the fleet, MetroBike has reached nearly 28,000 monthly trips as of April 2023. The service also peaks in popularity during major events, reaching 34,000 in 2021 during the ACL Festival, 37,000 in 2022 during SXSW, and over 43,000 in 2022 during the ACL Festival.
In 2020, a partnership between the City of Austin and CapMetro was formalized through an interlocal agreement (ILA) to expand the program in the coming decade. The City of Austin will own all physical hardware, while CapMetro is responsible for operating and maintaining the technology and hardware.
The public will start to see new bikes and stations beginning to roll out as early as the summer of 2024.
For more information about MetroBike, please visit capmetro.org/metrobike.
###
ABOUT CAPMETRO
CapMetro connects people, jobs and communities by providing Central Texans with safe, high-quality and sustainable transportation alternatives. The agency provides over 70,000 daily weekday trips on its buses, trains, paratransit and vanpool vehicles and serves a population of more than 1.2 million in its 543-square-mile service area. The region’s transportation leader, CapMetro has invested in transit services like its High-Frequency Network, which moves more people, more reliably. CapMetro is committed to increasing regional mobility and, through Project Connect, will transform how people travel throughout Central Texas. Visit capmetro.org for more information.