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CapMetro and city plan 10 new electrified bike-share stations and an August fare adjustment
Summary
CapMetro and city staff told the Mobility Committee they will add 10 bike-share stations in 2025 (all electrified charging stations), expand the system to 83 stations, and implement a fare adjustment on Aug. 1 to support operations; challenges remain around battery swapping and station electrification.
City and CapMetro staff briefed the Mobility Committee on May 15 on the CapMetro bike-share partnership, ridership patterns and a planned 2025 expansion.
Mike Kimbrough, program manager for shared mobility at Transportation and Public Works, said the city and CapMetro entered a three-year interlocal agreement in 2025 under which both parties will contribute financially and share reporting responsibilities; the city will continue to own bike-share physical assets and handle design, permitting and construction of station pads except where stations are colocated on CapMetro right-of-way. "We replaced the legacy system—we have 73 existing stations—with a 100% electric bicycle fleet installed in 2024," Kimbrough said.
CapMetro presenters described ridership concentrated on the University of Texas/West Campus area; one weekday in March recorded more than 2,000 trips and the Perry-Castañeda Library station has seen more than 30,000 trips so far this year. Jacob (CapMetro) and Nadia Barrera Ramirez (CapMetro) said operational challenges stem from e-bike battery logistics: new bikes require battery swaps in the field unless the station is electrified. Staff said electrified stations (hardwired with meters) are far more efficient for operations because bikes can charge while docked.
Nadia Barrera Ramirez said the 2025 plan includes 10 new expansion stations that will all be electrified; CapMetro expects the full system to reach 83 stations after the additions. Staff said the city and CapMetro will electrify roughly 20 stations this year (10 retrofits and 10 new pads) and are targeting 30–50% of stations electrified over five years. "If we can get 30% of our stations electrified, that largely keeps the system topped up," staff said.
CapMetro also announced a fare adjustment effective Aug. 1 to support operations and maintenance of the e-bike fleet; staff said fare products (day, month, annual passes and pay-as-you-go) continue to be available but noted the system currently accepts credit cards for purchases and not debit cards because of fraud issues during earlier deployments. Advertising revenue and a city contribution ($250,000 per year for three years) were cited as additional operating supports. Council members asked about volunteer rebalancing programs, developer-provided station pads (one developer is building a pad at 14th and Chicon), and the geographic focus of the 2025 stations, which were designed to align with new rapid bus stations on the East Side.
