Capital Bikeshare got an unexpected boost when news of Osama bin Laden’s death became public, as people used the bikes to rush to the White House.
Between 10 p.m. Sunday and 2 a.m. Monday, 558 of the red bikes were checked out, said District Department of Transportation spokesman John Lisle. That’s more than five times the 105 that were being used at the same time last week.
And some revelers kept going late. Between midnight and 2 a.m., about 300 bikes were still out, he said.
City officials are thrilled that the bike sharing system helped out people on Sunday night and early Monday morning. They view it as a transportation tool that can help when traffic is tied up as it was late Sunday. Metrorail also had shut down by midnight. “It’s great that people took advantage of bike sharing,” Lisle said. “For us it shows the value of the system.”
But as of 11:20 a.m. Monday, a handful were still out from the night. “Hopefully people are just sleeping it off,” Lisle said.
Riders have 24 hours before the system considers the bikes stolen and charges $1,000 to the user’s credit card. But up until then, the rates accrue up to $70 while the clock ticks.
