Green

Bike Usage Surged in U.S. Cities Amid Covid-19

Average daily public transit trips per capita are calculated based on unlinked transit trips in May 2019 and population within service areas. StreetLight Data, BloombergNEF, U.S. Federal Transit Administration, American Community Survey

Provide news feedback or report an error

Confidential tip?

Send a tip to our reporters

Site feedback:

Take our Survey

By Jinghong Lyu

September 1, 2020 at 1:43 PM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

Bicycle miles traveled in 90 U.S. cities saw an increase in May 2020 on a year-over-year basis. Smaller cities with short average commuting lengths and low public transit ridership increased up to 125%. Until 2021, BloombergNEF expects bike-sharing service to replace some short public transit trips, and such replacement to be significant in small cities. From 2022, we expect demand for public transit to recover, and for shared bike usage to only grow in cities with strong policies.

See the full research report here