Capital Bikeshare had its highest ridership month of all time in May with more than 428,000 rides, signaling a return to normalcy after the pandemic. It beats the previous record of 408,000 rides set back in September 2018.

Bikeshare officials attribute the record to tourism returning, good weather, their new fleet of e-bikes, and the increasing number of protected bike lanes across D.C. and the region.

Traditionally, CaBi’s ridership is heavily dependent on the season, with peaks coming in late summer, so officials expect to hit even more records later this year. Bikeshare has also had growth in the number of both stations and bikes since it launched in 2010. CaBi now has 5,000 bikes across more than 600 stations in seven jurisdictions.

About a third of rides in May were on e-bikes, the highest share in CaBi history since the system added 700 new gray e-bikes to the fleet in March. About 20% of total rides were on those new e-bikes, while they only comprise a tenth of the fleet.

Officials say non-member rides are up 80% last month compared to May 2019 and Bikeshare members are riding more than ever with the number of member trips up 17% over May 2019.

“The record-breaking ridership numbers reported by Capital Bikeshare show that D.C.’s Comeback is well underway. Getting more people downtown continues to be among our top priorities and having protected bike lanes and more Capital Bikeshare bikes for residents and visitors make it that much easier to come downtown,” D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said in a release. “I want to thank DDOT and Capital Bikeshare for continuing to support affordable and sustainable transit options for our visitors and residents, and we look forward to seeing these ridership numbers climb even higher as we enter the summer months.”

“The impact of the pandemic was as much about COVID as it was about loneliness and isolation, so we’re not surprised that we’re seeing a surge in ridership now,” Dominick Tribone, General Manager for Capital Bikeshare said. “Capital Bikeshare is helping to reconnect people with their coworkers, friends, and the places they love.”