Capital Bikeshare is DC, Virginia, and Maryland’s bike share system, and the first large scale bikeshare in the nation. Capital Bikeshare (CaBi) has thousands of bikes at hundreds of stations across Washington DC, Arlington, Alexandria, Tysons, Reston, Silver Spring, Takoma Park, Bethesda and Chevy Chase. Best of all, it’s available 24/7.
CaBi consists of a fleet of specially designed, sturdy and durable bikes that are locked into a network of docking stations throughout the city. The bikes can be unlocked from one station and returned to any other station in the system, making them ideal for one-way trips. People use bike share to commute to work, meet friends for dinner, or simply cruise around and see new sights. After signing up, all trips under 30 minutes are free.
The CaBi App lets you purchase rides, unlock a bike, and ride right away. You can also view all station locations, see available bikes and docks, and get walking directions to them to start your ride.
The Capital Bikeshare app also shows upcoming public transit departures, including WMATA Metrorail, Metrobus, and shuttle lines, DC Circulator buses, Fairfax Connector buses, Montgomery RideOn buses, Alexandria DASH buses, Prince George’s County TheBus buses, Arlington Regional Transit buses, VRE trains, and the Silver Line Express.
Within the app, you can purchase the following:
Single Ride
Access Pass
Membership
Happy riding!
There are 8 stations near my home. On average there will be two that have bikes. Maybe four bikes total, and maybe two of them will work.I love this app, and highly recommend it IF you are okay with the possibility if it not serving you when you need it. There used to be people regularly brining bikes from the overcrowded areas back up here. Now I rarely ever see them, and I have to walk far and stay locked in on this app to HOPEFULLY get a bike for my short ride to work. This used to be my main mode of transportation and it was the best, but now I always must have a backup mode of transportation because I never know if there will be a working bike. And if there is, it might be a 10 minute walk away because the three closer racks that are supposed to hold 15 bikes each might all be empty.
DONT RENT, SCAM, HAVENT FIXED ISSUES W/BIKE OR DOCKS
ᴍʏᴀʜ
I would not recommend this service at all. As a tourist, I used this service without reading the reviews as it seemed simple to use. Ohio have similar scooter and bike rentals and I have never had a problem. However, with capital Bikeshare I had the WORST experience. I rented a bike to ride from my Georgetown hotel to the national African American History museum which was a 11min ride. I docked the bike at 15th and constitution avenue, directly in front and across the street from the museum. The steps to dock the bike was clear and I saw a green light, heard a click, and assured the bike did not come out of its docking location. I even gave it a harder shove into the docking station and it still did not come out (as another person standing near me stated make sure it’s docked). However, Even with all these clear steps, I was still charged a lost/stolen bike fee of $250 plus $25 for the day. I contacted customer service and after trying to find the bike number. the bike was still out on a ride, but I wasn’t the one riding the bike. The customer service agent said they wouldn’t charge me any other fees until the bike is returned and would refund me the money once returned. It is now Wednesday 4/5/23 and the bike has not been returned. I left DC on Sunday and am still being charged fees for this bike. I wish I would’ve read the reviews before renting, as this appear to be a repeated issue. I SUGGEST NOT EVER RENTING FROM THEM. They don’t hav trackers on the bikes and it’s a horrible inconvenience to tourist. FYI: you will not be refunded any fees. Even if you provide proof and you know for sure the bike was docked properly.
They try - to a certain extent!
Mr. T. Grizzly
I was very pleased with how the app worked. Just a few simple essential functions but they worked well. The live map was accurate and the trip mapping function worked well. Yes, not all of the bikes are perfect (fix those loose headsets!), and the docks don’t always work (which can be discouraging when you finally reach your destination and hope to ditch the bike like a hot potato and you find the only empty docks are not working), but most everything worked well enough, enough of the time for this user who was there for a few days as a tourist. And customer service was right there to take any phone calls with questions. Unless you want to try the scooters, which look like an easier and more fun way to get around, the whole BikeShare system is pretty awesome. A great alternative to taking the Metro or using a car. The 30 minute time limit is sufficient to get from one place to another if you are a tourist exploring different parts of the city.
A Bad Start With A Happy Ending
WhatzUpWitYou
Had a HORRIBLE experience with renting my bike and ending the trip docking it. Was a little disappointed with how difficult it was for a newcomer to try to rent a bike for only half an hour, but this entire experience was negated by one of the most superior customer service experiences I’ve ever had.Marie (I definitely want to give her a shoutout!) spoke with me on the phone and was not only patient, but went above and beyond what I expected customer service would be for a $2 bike ride around DC. I had an issue docking my bike, and she was able to talk to upper management (without me even having to ask) and calm my fears as a first time user of the service.Now that I’m aware of how the system works, I would definitely recommend renting a bike through this company in the city (especially if you want to put in the exercise and save money over Uber, scooters, and other ride share/renting services).
Bug fixes and performance improvements.
Version 2026.11.3
The developer, Lyft Bikes and Scooters, LLC, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .
Data Linked to You
The following data may be collected and linked to your identity:
Purchases
Financial Info
Location
Contact Info
User Content
Search History
Identifiers
Usage Data
Diagnostics
Other Data
Data Not Linked to You
The following data may be collected but it is not linked to your identity:
Contacts
Privacy practices may vary, for example, based on the features you use or your age. Learn More
Accessibility
The developer has not yet indicated which accessibility features this app supports. Learn More
Information
Seller
Lyft Bikes and Scooters, LLC
Size
249.3 MB
Category
Travel
Compatibility
Requires iOS 17.0 or later.
iPhone Requires iOS 17.0 or later.
Apple Vision Requires visionOS 1.0 or later.
Location
This app may use your location even when it isn’t open, which can decrease device battery life.