Commuter rides spike across cities: a Bike to Work Week recap

This May, commuters showed up on two wheels. During Bike to Work Week (May 11 to 17) and Bike to Work Day on May 15, Lyft Urban Solutions (LUS)-operated systems saw a ridership surge, proof that when cities invest in reliable bikeshare, riders follow. Here are the standout moments and figures from across the networks.

Systems saw record-breaking ridership throughout the week

The momentum was unmistakable. Commuting-hour ridership surged 45% above typical 2026 levels across major markets, with several cities setting records of their own:

• In New York City, Citi Bike saw a massive 70% ridership increase during commuting hours
• Chicago’s Divvy system followed closely with a significant 68% increase in ridership in the same period
• In the Metro D.C. area, Capital Bikeshare experienced an impressive 37% growth during commuting hours, with over 7,000 rides taken on Bike to Work Day alone
• Bay Wheels in the Bay Area saw a 23% increase, with over 20,000 trips on Bike to Work Day, the second highest single-day total of the year.
• Portland’s Biketown system saw a 21% increase during commuting hours

These citywide surges don't happen by accident. They reflect years of infrastructure investment, work to keep bikes available when and where riders need them, and on-the-ground community outreach that gets people excited to ride. San Francisco was a great example of that energy in action.

Bay Wheels brought Bike to Work Day to life in San Francisco 

To celebrate Bike to Work Day, San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie hopped on a Bay Wheels bike for a ride through the city.

The Bay Wheels team was also at CalTrain station greeting riders all morning, and in Berkeley for a gathering in the evening. 

The energy on the ground matched the numbers. It was a big day for bikeshare in San Francisco.

Riders overwhelmingly chose ebikes for their commutes

Nowhere was that clearer than in New York. Nearly 100,000 riders took a Citi Bike ride during commuting hours on Bike to Work Day, and 73% chose an ebike.

That reflects a broader trend across our markets. So far in 2026, 70% of commuting-hour rides in LUS-operated markets were on ebikes, the highest share we've ever recorded. In regions with larger ebike fleets, like the Bay Area, that number climbs above 80%.

Bay Wheels: ebike trips on Bike to Work Day in San Francisco

Stations remain the preferred starting point for riders

Stations matter to riders. Across the systems we operate that have implemented flexible parking (allowing riders to end a trip at a physical dock or outside a physical one), nearly 70% of rides started and ended at a dock, and 88% involved a station at one or both ends. Riders want to know exactly where to find a bike, and bikes parked at stations get used significantly more than those parked elsewhere.

That pattern held during Bike to Work Week. These were the 10 most popular stations during morning commuting hours in NYC:

Learn more about smart stations here

Bike to Work Week surfaces patterns that play out all year. Commuters reach for bikes when the fleet is reliable and stations are where they need them to be. The cities that saw the biggest gains this May had those pieces in place. And if Bike to Work Week is any indication, it's shaping up to be a great summer for bikeshare.