Dockless Bikeshare Expands to Takoma Park

TAKOMA PARK, MD — Four bikeshare companies have signed agreements to operate within Takoma Park.

Limebike, Mobike, Ofo and Spin have signed agreements with MCDOT to expand their current operations in Silver Spring into Takoma Park.

“The City of Takoma Park has a long history of promoting transportation modes other than automobiles,” Takoma Park City Manager Suzanne Ludlow said in a stament. “We are happy to partner with Montgomery County on this pilot to see what works well and what can be improved to allow wide access to bicycles. We have many residents who cannot afford to own their own bicycles or do not have space in their apartments to store one, so a dockless bikeshare program can really meet a need in our community.”

Montgomery County is the first suburban jurisdiction in the U.S. to have a dockless bike share system, according to a news release. MCDOT began the dockless bikeshare pilot project this fall at no cost to the County.

Dockless Bikeshare does not rely on fixed bike stations. Customers use a mobile phone app to locate a nearby bike with GPS and unlock it. When a customer completes a dockless bike trip, the bike is parked on any publicly-owned land within the demonstration area.

Information about dockless bikeshare and Capital Bikeshare is available on the County’s website.

Patch Photo by Cameron Luttrell