THE DUBLIN BIKES scheme is set to come to an end next year, but Dublin City Council has plans to replace it with a new bike share service.
Dublin Bikes was launched in 2009 and is operated by outdoor advertising company JCDecaux.
Under the deal, JCDecaux operates the Dublin Bikes scheme on the council’s behalf, in return for public space to erect its billboards and brightly lit digital displays called “digipanels”.
It operates fleets of city bicycles under the brand Cyclocity.
The bike share scheme run by JCDecaux comprises of around 1,600 bikes, which are docked at 115 stations within the canals.
The bike scheme uses a station-based model, which provides for bike use to only terminate at one of the stations across the city.
Users pay an annual subscription of €35.
This covers the first 30 minutes of use of the bikes, but Dublin City Council said that “in practice, annual subscribers rarely pay any additional fees”.
However, the contract for this scheme finishes in September 2027.
In a report that will be presented to councillors next week, the Council will note that it doesn’t own the bikes or the station equipment.
JC Decaux told the Business Post in 2024 that if its deal with the council and the National Transport Authority is not extended, it will remove all the bike infrastructure it installed.
Dublin City Council will inform members of the Mobility and Public Realm committee that it intends to provide a new city-wide bike share scheme following the end of the contract with JCDecaux.
The Council said it will enter a procurement process to ensure that shared bike services will continue post 2027.
The Council said it is of the belief that “in a new bike share scheme, the city council should own the bike stations and potentially the bikes themselves”.
In this model, the Council will appoint an “operational, maintenance and upgrade contractor”.
The Council said it is intended that there be one operator across the city and that there be a combination of classic (non-powered) bikes and e-bikes, making up a total fleet of around 4,000 bikes.
The Council will tell the committee that it does not intent to operate e-scooters, which are becoming popular across European cities.
The Council said it will be involved in “market sounding engagement with various bike share operators prior to engaging in the formal procurement process”.
Dublin Bikes is currently sponsored by insurance company Red Click.
That deal was struck in late 2024, and previous to this, Dublin Bikes went close to a year without sponsorship.
In 2014, Coca-Cola signed a three-year sponsorship deal of the scheme, after which Just Eat and then Now TV signed on as sponsors.
In addition to the current Dublin Bikes scheme, there are private operators Bleeper and Moby, which do not make use of bike stations.
These provide around 900 bikes, which must be parked at cycle stands.