What Makes Bike Share Successful?

In an increasingly congested San Francisco, we need to provide more transportation options that take people out of motor vehicles.

Bike share offers the convenience of biking without the hassle of worrying about locking and storage. Bike share pairs with transit like peas and carrots, making the first- and last-mile connection a breeze. In cities across the world, a robust and bike share system has led to a surge in people riding bikes and increased demands for improved bike infrastructure.

A successful, well-designed bike share system blends the fun and freedom that we know a bicycle provides with the convenience and availability of use. It opens the door to a new audience of people who either didn’t have access to bikes in the past or didn’t consider biking as a convenient option. The numbers are evident; over 1.5 million bike share trips were registered in May, alone, by New York’s system.

This means that even if you don’t ever use bike share and even if the system doesn’t directly impact your mobility, you still benefit. Whether it’s one less car causing congestion or one more seat open on Muni, a popular bike share system is good for San Francisco. And with more people biking, this will help spur infrastructure change that will make our streets more people-friendly for everyone.

But what makes a bike share system successful? The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition believes that bike share will only be successful if it’s truly accessible and affordable, with a ridership that represents the diversity of our city. This is why we’re proud that strides have been made to open up membership through the Bike Share for All program. With that said, we know the work must continue to ensure outreach and opportunities to connect with bike share grow.

Bike Share Updates

Join our mailing list for opportunities to help ensure the success of the Bike Share for All program and for updates as we ready for the re-launch of bike share next week.

Become a member and you'll improve your commute and get discounts at shops across the city.