Austinites who regularly cruise the city’s streets on publicly available bikes can soon resume their pedaling as the rollout of the newly branded CapMetro Bikeshare program, previously Metrobike, nears completion.

What you need to know

Starting July 1, crews began deconstructing old docking stations city-wide to make way for new stations and bikes. Capital Metro President and CEO Dottie Watkins said during a recent CapMetro board meeting July 22 that the rollout will likely be complete by September.The transportation group will launch the new equipment in five phases for the 80 bikeshare docks throughout the city. Though no stations are currently operational, residents can check the status of locations on CapMetro’s website or new app.

Individuals can rent and pay for a bike rental via the CapMetro Bikeshare app, which is now live. Rates begin at $0.23 per minute after an initial $1.09 to unlock a bike. Regular riders can also purchase a day, month or annual pass at the following price points:
  • 1 day pass: $12.99
  • 31 day pass: $11
  • Annual pass: $86.60
University of Texas at Austin students and staff are eligible for a discounted rate.

The new generation fleet will be electric assist bikes, which require pedaling but provide an automatic motor assist, according to a news release from CapMetro.

“The transition to CapMetro Bikeshare represents our dedication to providing innovative, sustainable and convenient transportation options for Austin,” Watkins said in a statement.


A closer look

City data indicated that since an initial bikeshare program was implemented in 2013, there have been over a million bike trips taken. The data only measured trips taken over two minutes long.

While the program is currently focused in the downtown area, CapMetro plans to expand services. Having received federal funding in Oct. 2023, the organization announced an $11.3 million ten-year contract with PBSC Urban Solutions, Inc. in Jan. 2024.

Plans include an estimated $20.6 million towards expansion of the bikeshare system throughout the metro, according to a Jan. 29 news release.


Coined a “key piece of Austin’s transit toolkit,” per the release, this investment would effectively triple the bikeshare system, the release states, including 80 of the old MetroBike stations, 1,000 docks and 800 bicycles.