Bikeshare Beat: Community, Growth & Electrification
May 13, 2025 — NewsletterNewsletter
Bikeshare Beat: Community, Growth & Electrification
Newsletter April edition
Lyft Urban Solutions in Zag Daily: Ebikes adoption drives revenue growth in bikeshare memberships
As reported in Zag Daily, Lyft Urban Solutions’ Senior Director Mark Roberts explores how ebikes can improve the economics of bikeshare systems that provide unlimited ride memberships, all while creating possible avenues expansion and program improvements. In the five largest U.S. bikeshare systems, 69% of members choose ebikes when given the option, helping generate extra revenue that offsets operational costs. The addition of in-dock charging stations further supports this trend by improving bike availability for riders and reducing operational complexity.
Building Stronger Communities with Citi Bike Weekly Rides
Bikeshare has always been about more than just getting from point A to B. When designed and delivered with communities in mind, bikeshare is a tool for social connection and community empowerment. Through Citi Bike’s Weekly Rides program in New York City, Lyft Urban Solutions partners with incredible local leaders to break down barriers and make cycling more accessible for all. With over 1,000 participants — 25% of them new to biking — these smaller group rides create space for skill-building, confidence, and community appreciation. Building on the program’s success, we launched a Ride Leader Academy in 2024, allowing Citi Bike to support community empowerment and leadership through bikeshare.
Bikeshare highlights from around the world
- 🇨🇦 As the city of Montreal awakens to warmer days, BIXI is hitting the streets with over 1,600 new bikes, bringing its total fleet to 12,600 bikes, including 3,200 ebikes and more than 1,000 stations. With four new cities joining the network, BIXI is now active in 13 cities across Québec, making bikeshare more accessible than ever across the province.
- 🇨🇦 The 2025 season kicked off with exciting growth for Québec City’s bikeshare system àVélo. An additional 500 new ebikes and 50 stations have been added, bringing the fleet to a total of 1,800 ebikes and 165 charging stations. The network now extends into five new neighborhoods, bringing more riders into the fold and making it easier than ever to get around the city on two wheels.
- 🇪🇸 The Biki system in Valladolid, Spain, is expanding its e-bike fleet in response to clear demand, as e-bikes powered 79% of all trips in 2024 despite making up only a quarter of the total fleet.
- 🇪🇸 The BiciCoruña system in La Coruña, Spain, is growing, adding 7 new charging stations and 300 additional e-bikes to its fleet to improve access and support increased ridership across the city.
- 🇺🇸 One year after the roll-out of Citi Bike’s first e-charging station in New York City, the system is accelerating the deployment of dock-based charging stations to keep up with the rising popularity of ebikes. Ebike rides surged by 25% from Q1 2024 to Q1 2025.