Once the expansion has been completed the number of stations will be more than doubled to 102 and the number of bikes will be almost trebled to 1,500 in total.
JCDecaux has been operating the dublinbikes contract on behalf of Dublin City Council since its launch in 2009. The scheme currently has 550 bikes with 44 bike stations located in the city centre.
According to Joanne Grant, managing director of JCDecaux Ireland, since the launch in 2009 the scheme has exceeded all expectations in terms of uptake and use and it is generally acknowledged to be one of the most successful bike sharing schemes in the world. To date, over 5 million journeys have been made on dublinbikes and there are over 31,000 active long-term subscribers. 95% of journeys take less than 30 minutes and are therefore free to cyclists.
“JCDecaux is delighted to be carrying out the dublinbikes expansion. This will ensure that more people will be able to enjoy the convenience that the bikes provide to thousands of users every day. We are looking forward to building on the success of the scheme already in place,” says Grant.
Commenting on the expansion Jim Keogan, executive manager in Dublin City Council’s Planning and Economic Development Department said “the expansion of the dublinbikes scheme will provide significantly more people with a high quality means of transport that is not only environmentally sustainable and encourages a more healthy lifestyle but is also complementary to other modes of public transport. The expanded dublinbikes scheme will also continue to contribute to a significantly decreased motor presence in our city centre”.
