Capital Bikeshare is the region's bikeshare program. Bike sharing is public transportation using bicycles, and cities around the world provide bike sharing systems as a transportation option for residents and visitors. There are over 600 stations throughout Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax County, Falls Church, Arlington County, Montgomery County, Prince George's County, and Washington, D.C. Pick up a bike in any part of the region and return to any station.  Additionally, the program now offers e-bikes that can be found at stations or nearby bike racks.  Capital Bikeshare is a great way to get around the region!  See what the City of Alexandria is doing with Capital Bikeshare through the FY 2025 Annual Report.

 Capital Bikeshare is expanding!  There are 62 stations spread throughout the City with nine more to be installed in the next year.  New station locations will prioritize access to the City's trail network, Metro stations, and equitable access throughout Alexandria.

There several different pricing options for using Bikeshare, ranging from annual memberships to single trip fees.  Please visit the Capital Bikeshare Pricing webpage for more details or see the brochures below for a summary.  

• Capital Bikeshare Membership (English)
• Capital Bikeshare Membership (Spanish)

Capital Bikeshare for All Program

Offers affordable, accessible, and fun transportation options for everyone, regardless of income for only $5 per year.  This program provides unlimited rides on the classic bikes, with the first 60 minutes of each classic bike or ebike trip included.  Participants must qualify for certain state or federal benefits: SNAP, WIC, TANF, SSI/SSDI, Medicaid, Low-income energy assistance program.  If interested, please register online or sign-up at the GO Alex Mobile Store - Schedule

The Capital Bikeshare system has continued to grow since its inception in 2012, with the system expanding from eight stations in 2012 to 31 stations in 2016. In 2016, an analysis was conducted through the Transportation Master Plan that provided guidance on locations for future Bikeshare stations.   

In 2017, staff solicited community feedback on the next round of station locations and selected stations that were then approved for installation during public hearings at the Traffic & Parking Board.   Because both the stations and bikes are funded through federal grants, staff must go through a multi-step process in order to purchase new stations.  For the past two years, staff has been working closely with the state to overcome contracting hurdles that have prevented the City from installing these stations.   Installations for 17 of these stations began in late fall 2021. 

Six new bikeshare stations were installed in Summer and Fall 2020 bringing the total number of stations to 37. These stations have been funded by nearby developments as a condition of their approval.  

In 2021, the City obtained seven bikeshare stations that Arlington is replacing, which will bring the total number of stations to 44. Six of the seven stations have been installed, and so there are currently a total of 43 bikeshare stations in the City. These stations are in good working condition and enable the City to deploy bikeshare to the West End ahead of the planned schedule using phased state funding for station purchases.  These stations will ultimately be replaced with brand new ones over the next few years but purchasing these used stations allows the City to get stations installed and operational now while future phases of the funding process is completed. 

The City launched the Capital Bikeshare Trip Data Dashboard which includes trip data since 2018 and provides Alexandria specific information on station usage and ridership patterns throughout the City. 

Annual data summaries are available here: 

• 2020 Alexandria Dashboard
• 2019 Alexandria Dashboard
• 2018 Alexandria Dashboard
• 2017 Alexandria Dashboard
• 2016 Alexandria Dashboard
• 2015 Alexandria Dashboard

Station locations are selected from locations suggested by the community and near new development sites, and are evaluated using criteria including connectivity to transit to expand between Metrorail stations, mixed-use activity centers,  potential bicycle activity, proximity to other Capital Bikeshare stations.  The Transportation Master Plan also provides more information about planned locations for future bikeshare stations.  In addition, the following technical considerations also apply:

• Direct sunlight
• At least 11'x 42' of clearance
• Sidewalk/pedestrian clearance
• Topography
• Utility clearance
• VDOT approval (if applicable)
• City Right Of Way

• Board of Architectural Review – October 2011 and July 2013
• Capital Bikeshare Open House  - January 28, 2015
• Transportation Master Plan – Online wikimap – August to October 2014
• Transportation Master Plan Public Meetings –
  • Sept. 30, 2014 (Overview of existing stations and input on future stations)
  • Sept 24, 2015 (Showed recommended bikeshare station locations)
• Transportation Master Plan Ad Hoc Advisory Committee Meetings –
  • Oct 9, 2014 – presented existing conditions, including bikeshare stations
  • Dec 3, 2014 – presented results of wikimap / survey for future bikeshare stations
• Planning Commission Public hearing – April 5, 2016
• City Council Public hearing – April 16, 2016
• Bikeshare Expansion Outreach - May-June, 2017
• Board of Architectural Review - Old & Historic District - June 21, 2017
• Traffic & Parking Board Public Hearing on Spring 2018 Expansion - July 24, 2017
• Traffic & Parking Board Public Hearing on West End Expansion - October 26, 2020
• Traffic & Parking Board Public Hearing on West End Expansion - February 22, 2021
• Traffic & Parking Board Public Hearing on West End Expansion - March 22, 2021
• Traffic & Parking Board Oral Update on Bikeshare Expansion Project - July 26, 2021
• Traffic & Parking Board Public Hearing on Bikeshare Expansion Project - September 27, 2021

Prior to installation, adjacent businesses and civic associations will be notified about the new bikeshare stations.

• GO Alex - Bikeways Network  
• GO Alex - Bike and Walk  
• Capital Bikeshare station map -- Check availability of bikes and docks, save the stations you use most often
• Follow Capital Bikeshare on Facebook and Twitter