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Capital Bikeshare Expansion Halted By Parts Problems

By: Armando Trull // December 4, 2012
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Even with 175 stations and 1,670 bikes in service in the D.C. Metro area, expansion hasn't quite kept up with demand.
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Even with 175 stations and 1,670 bikes in service in the D.C. Metro area, expansion hasn't quite kept up with demand.

A lack of parts is putting the brakes on the expansion of the Capital Bikeshare program in the District, according to a District Department of Transportation official.

Existing plans to add 54 bike share stations this fall will likely come up short, department spokesman John Lisle told The Washington Post, because they have not been able to get all the needed equipment from a supplier.

The system, launched in 2010 in the District, Arlington and Alexandria, has about 175 stations. It has so far struggled to keep up with demand at times.

The expansion delay has also raised questions about whether supplier Alta Bicycle Share can keep up with growing demand from cities for bike-share programs. Just last month, Montgomery County unanimously approved measures intended to expand bike-share programs, most of which is expected to integrate with Capital Bikeshare.

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