Secret Cyclist: Cork bike share scheme fails to shift gear
Bike rental station in Cork sponsored by Coca-Cola Zero, now known as Coke Zero.
Dublinbikes launched in 2009 and the capital’s public bike share scheme hit the ground running. Within five years, it had over 50,000 subscribers annually, and 10m trips had been taken on the bikes. By 2018, almost 70,000 people had signed up.
For many years, Dublinbikes was a bit like Bayern Munich football club: competitive on the European level with sound financial backing, and firm support from loyal members. Much like Bayern has fallen short on the European front in the last two years, the Dublinbikes scheme is also facing challenges. A lack of capital investment has seen the number of stations remain stagnant at 117, a far cry from the 300 stations proposed in 2010. Membership has plunged in recent years and is currently just over 33,000.
