Capital Bikeshare and Washington Metro

Full disclosure: I manage Capital Bikeshare for Fairfax County and formerly consulted for Alexandria and Arlington County on the program. Views are my own.

Capital Bikeshare and the Washington Metro make a perfect first and last mile team, allowing people to ride to and from the Metro from distances too far to walk. Installing bikeshare stations close to Metro entrances should increase the attractiveness of Capital Bikeshare (CaBi) and reduce friction from transferring from transit to bicycle and has long been a pet project of mine.

Clarendon Metro

Curious about how many CaBi stations were close to Metro entrances, I graded each CaBi location from A to D and measured the walking distance to the nearest Metro entrance. 

Approximately 81% of Metro stops have Capital Bikeshare nearby, receiving a grade of A-C, totaling 79 out of 98. Last I checked, Prince Georges County plans to add CaBi at three Metro stations. The last two Metro stations in Fairfax County, Huntington and Innovation, should have Capital Bikeshare installed by mid-summer. Here is the detailed list.

Rosslyn Metro Elevators

14 Metro stops are served by two or more bikeshare stations. Trips to CaBi near Metro stations made up 11% of the system trips in 2024 (trip data).

Crystal City Metro

There are a few challenges to installing stations near Metro stations. Each station requires four hours of south-facing sun to function and the older version of the equipment requires at least 30 feet of length and six feet of width plus space to pull out bicycles. The land owner needs to consent to hosting the station. Some public property owners are flexible such as the jurisdiction itself and WMATA. Others are more challenging to work with and while private property owners occasionally consent, their lack of cooperation forces CaBi to go elsewhere. Moving Crystal City's station closer to the entrance was only feasible after an underused overpass was removed. 

For example, the CaBi station near Arlington National Cemetery is on land owned by the Virginia Department of Transportation, 765 feet from the Metro (graded C) because none of the federal property owners would consent. Fortunately, being a bit off the beaten path has not impacted its popularity as it has been among Arlington County’s busiest CaBi stations since installation. Similarly, the Pentagon Metro lacks a CaBi station for security theatre related reasons.

Number of CaBi Stations rated A-D by Jurisdiction 

Washington, DC only has one unserved Metro station, Federal Triangle. Montgomery County is unlikely to add CaBi to its final three Metro stations due to long-term funding constraints. Loudoun County is not a member jurisdiction. Prince George’s County’s remaining six Metro stations, Branch Avenue, Cheverly, Landover, Naylor Road, New Carrollton, and Suitland may not be feasible due to low population density near Metro stations and lack of bicycle infrastructure.