Urgent expansion of DublinBikes scheme ‘worth the spending’

No additional stations have been added to the bike rental network since 2018, but a motion has now been passed in Dublin City Council to expand the scheme.

However, due to high costs, it may take several years for this to come about.

Green Party councillor Ray Cunningham, who raised the motion, believes an urgent expansion of the scheme is worth the expense.

"It fits in with our climate strategy, trying to reduce the number of cars in the city and the emissions that come with it, as well as the pollution and the danger to pedestrians and cyclists," he said.

"Yes, it will cost money to extend, but some things are worth spending money on, and this is one of them.

"It's quite a small area serviced by DublinBikes. If you get a bus into the city, or a Dart or a Luas, and you want to get a DublinBike to cover that last mile, it's brilliant.

"But if you want to get a bike to a Luas or Dart station, there isn't a DublinBikes service in the suburbs," he added.

The motion to expand DublinBikes received cross-party support from councillors on Monday.

However, Dublin City Council Chief Executive Richard Shakespeare said the expansion was "unlikely" to be in the near term due to "budget constraints".

He added that DublinBikes had run a significant deficit even before the pandemic, now estimated at over €500,000 annually.

The contract with JCDecaux is set to expire in 2027, and Mr Shakespeare advised against any major expansion until a new contract can be negotiated.

To date, over 38 million trips have been completed on DublinBikes since its launch, with the majority incurring no additional cost.

The membership fee, raised from €25 to €35 in 2020, still allows members to take bikes for free for the first 30 minutes, with small fees applied for longer trips.

Despite repeated efforts to secure its future, DublinBikes has not been expanded in more than six years.

Councillor Naoise Ó Muirí previously highlighted the need for a more "equitable distribution" of bike stations across the city.

"The DublinBikes scheme has been an outstanding initiative, contributing to the city's efforts to promote sustainable and healthy modes of transportation," he said.

"However, despite its success, there remain significant blind spots in the scheme's coverage.

"When DublinBikes was introduced in 2009, it was launched ahead of even New York's bike-sharing programme.

"However, unlike other global cities, Dublin's system has unfortunately stagnated and failed to extend beyond the canals," he added.

The DublinBikes scheme recently gained a new sponsor in RedClick, a car and home insurance company, providing much-needed financial support for the scheme.

Coca-Cola were the first major sponsor of the scheme in 2014, with Just Eat and Now TV later stepping in to support the service.

The latest deal with Now TV ended earlier this year, leaving DublinBikes without a sponsor until RedClick's recent support.

DublinBikes subscriptions took a severe hit during the pandemic, and while they have yet to fully recover, the council is working on addressing the decline.