Dockless Bikeshare Has More Bikes Than Riders

"Dockless bike-share services attracted a lot of attention when they rolled out in U.S. cities last year, but they still have a long way to go before they overtake traditional, station-based systems in ridership," reports Daniel C. Vock.

"Dockless bikes made up 44 percent of all shared bikes on the street last year, but accounted for a mere 4 percent of the trips. In fact, the bikes in station-based systems are used five times as often as those in dockless systems," adds Vock.

The source of that data—a report from the National Association of City Transportation Officials –concludes that dockless bikeshare has yet to move the needle on mobility choices. Although dockless bikeshare companies are operating in 25 U.S. cities, the report also suggests that the low ridership numbers explain the cautious approach by cities to the new dockless bikeshare business model.