While many people are familiar with Washington’s Capital Bikeshare that hosts stations all over the city for pedestrians to access communal bikes, new and improved competitors have emerged all across the city.
Over the past couple of months, LimeBike, Bird, and Waybot have dazzled many Washingtonians with their numerous bikes and scooters across the city available and affordable for anyone with the company’s respective app. They provide easy shortcuts to getting around the city without having to call an Uber or a cab.
For Lime Bike, it costs $1 to unlock the bike and for every 30 minutes and an additional $1 is added to your total. If you are a student, the 30 minute rate is split in half to just $0.50. Like Lime Bike, Bird scooters cost $1 to unlock, but also an additional $0.15 per minute; the same goes for Waybot.
Accessing these scooters and bikes is not difficult at all. They are literally all around the city. If you are having trouble locating one of them, refer to the app where it will guide you to the closest vehicle as well as telling you how much charge is left on it.
These dock-less forms of transporting are useful in many ways. For one, they are efficient for short distance traveling. Whether you are going to work or a tourist in DC, these dock-less vehicles provide a quicker way to get to destinations but also allow one to soak in the scenery of the city, where an uber ride might not have that same effect.
For kids or adults, these scooters and bikes are fun to ride, give you adrenaline, and can boost anyone’s day when running into one of these fascinating toys on the street.
For me, the scooters and bikes are multi-purpose in my life. Whether I just want to get away from campus and ride around the national mall and other tourist sites in DC, race my friends in Dupont circle, or if I’m in a rush to work in Georgetown, these vehicles provide an instant pick up in my day.
These vehicles give me an outlet to be a kid again for a short span of time by bringing back memories from my childhood when I was carefree and did not have to worry about finding internships or if a professor is fond of my work.
Although Uber in DC is relatively inexpensive in comparison to other American cities such as Atlanta and Miami, waiting on uber can be a hassle at times, and if you are riding uber pool, it can take a longer time than expected to get to you destination.
These new dock-less vehicles are everywhere, cheaper than uber, and depending on how far your destination is, can be quicker than a car ride in DC. Aside from being inexpensive, they are also environmentally friendly. By riding a bike or a scooter, one is not contributing to the emission of greenhouse gases, and is overall helping to make our air cleaner.
Many other American cities are beginning to adopt this new form of urbanism and as it becomes more popular, more and more will be displayed for the public. If you haven’t rode on one, I suggest you try it. You won’t regret it.
