DublinBikes Scheme Ends After 17 Years; Council Plans New 4,000-Bike Service
Dublin City Council is ending its 17-year DublinBikes contract with JCDecaux due to unprofitability and lack of expansion. The council will launch its own scheme, aiming for 4,000 bikes, including e-bikes. This move seeks to modernize and expand the city's bike-sharing service.
Dublin City Council will discontinue the DublinBikes scheme, operated by JCDecaux, after 17 years. The loss-making service, which has not expanded in eight years, will end its contract in four months. The council plans to launch its own scheme, more than doubling the number of bikes to approximately 4,000, including classic and e-bikes.
Introduced in 2009, DublinBikes was funded by JCDecaux in exchange for advertising panels. Despite initial popularity and various sponsorship deals—including Coca-Cola (2014), Just Eat (2017), Now TV (2020, €2.25 million over three years), and RedClick (late 2024)—the scheme remained unprofitable. Its annual membership increased from €25 to €35 in 2020, allowing 30 minutes free use.
The scheme, which owns 1,600 bikes and 115 stations, suffered reduced subscriptions during the Covid-19 pandemic and competition from stationless services. The council will own the stations and potentially the bikes under the new scheme, offering a contract for operation and maintenance. It has not confirmed if it will acquire JCDecaux's existing infrastructure or bikes.