A SAN FRANCISO-based company visited Ireland in recent weeks to show off its bike-share technology, ahead of the Dublin Bikes contract going out to tender next year.

Lyft invited councillors in the capital to a demonstration of its docked-bike scheme, as well as its pedal and electric bikes.

Any change to the operator of Dublin Bikes is likely to require wholesale replacement of the 16-year-old scheme’s infrastructure.

Pricing could also change: when Belfast switched operator last month, the costs to users shot up. As reported by the BBC, prices in Belfast had not kept up with inflation.

Lyft told The Journal: “We have a proven track record of replacing ageing systems with best-in-class charging stations, pedal bikes and ebikes, including Barcelona, where ridership grew by over 50% after our equipment was introduced.

“Lyft was excited to visit Dublin and learn from stakeholders about their needs for the next generation of the Dublin Bikes program. We look forward to continuing the discussion over the coming months.”

Dublin Bikes is currently operated by advertising company JC Decaux, which struck a ‘bikes for billboards’ deal with the council in 2006 whereby it operates the successful bike-share scheme on the council’s behalf, in return for public space to erect its billboards and brightly lit digital ad displays in the city.

The current Dublin Bikes contract with JC Decaux will end in September 2027 and the council has said it plans to run a procurement process in advance of this date.

The Dublin Bikes infrastructure belongs to JC Decaux, which told the Business Post last year that if its deal with the council and the National Transport Authority is not extended it will remove everything it owns. 

Feljin Jose, a city councillor and the Green Party’s transport spokesman, said that as the current contract ends, the city needs to ensure Dublin Bikes is well-funded into the future and reaches more people.

Jose said the current ‘bikes for billboards’ arrangement was “from a time when funding for active travel was near impossible to get” but giving large billboards as a revenue stream for the operator is “not a sustainable method to operate public services”.

He added that the current agreement is “very rigid and does not allow for easy expansion into new areas”.

Irish presence

Lyft already has a presence in Ireland as it bought the Freenow taxi app earlier this year. In the US, it also operates in the gig economy with a ride-sharing service similar to Uber.

In an email sent to Dublin city councillors last month, Lyft said it provides micromobility infrastructure in 14 countries, with almost 200,000 bikes deployed. 

The email said Lyft’s approach was “built around station bikes, similar to the existing Dublin Bikes scheme, where bikes are picked up and returned at fixed docking stations”.

“This system keeps bikes organised and out of the way of footpaths, which can help prevent accessibility issues, antisocial behaviour, and street clutter,” it said.

Lyft systems are in operation in cities including London, Madrid and Toronto. 

There are separately two stationless bike sharing schemes operating in Dublin city, Bleeper and Moby.