WASHINGTON -- There are a couple of angels, cycling around the DMV, who working to make your commute just a bit easier.
Capital Bikeshare launched the Bike Angels program about a week ago.
The purpose of the program is to redistribute Capital Bikeshare bikes from stations where there are plentiful to stations where they are few to choose from.
Some Capital Bikeshare customers have complained there is an abundance of bikes in the downtown area following the morning rush, but not enough in surrounding neighborhoods during that same period.
The Bike Angels program works by providing users an incentive to ride Capital Bikeshare bikes from full stations to empty stations.
Users earn “points” depending upon what stations they make trips to and from.
For example, if a rider earns ten points during a month’s worth of time, they can earn a free 24-hour pass for a friend. For every 20 points they gain, they can earn a free one-week membership extension.
"This is just sort of another advantage of the bikeshare program,” said Capital Bikeshare cyclist Joe Flood.
Flood learned about the Bike Angels program through Twitter.
As of Wednesday evening, he ranked fourth on the Bike Angels leader board that denotes which users have gained the most points in the District.
“I was number one until today,” he said.
But, Flood said he plans to earn back his crown.
“I'm going to try,” he said. “It's hot, but I'm going to try."
Capital Bikeshare was introduced to DC in 2010. As of April 2018, more than 32,000 people had either annual or 30-day Capital Bikeshare memberships in the DMV.
