At Bikemore, we believe a great city is a connected city. One where the amenities — and the opportunities — are for everyone. Too often, amenities for residents don’t meet that bar. So when rental scooters and bikes landed on Baltimore’s streets, we advocated for legislation and permitting of a shared mobility program that would center equity and access for all.
In 2025, those rental bikes and scooters, provided by vendors Lime and Spin, saw over 3 million rides and over 3.9 million miles traveled throughout the city, nearly doubling ridership from 2024. The data proves shared mobility is not a novelty for tourists, but critical daily transportation infrastructure for residents. Notably, ridership growth is strongest in the Black Butterfly.
This success is directly tied to robust equity policies, which Bikemore fought to have codified into legislation, and Bikemore’s efforts to educate residents on the program and enroll community members into the required Access Program, which is a major part of my role as Bikemore’s shared mobility organizer.
The Access Program waives unlock fees and reduces per-minute ride costs by 80% for anyone enrolled in any form of government assistance. More information about the program can be found at bikemore.net/enroll.
The permit requires scooters and bikes to be distributed across planning districts in the city, not overly concentrated in any one area. Additionally, specific areas throughout the city are designated as Equity Zones, requiring daily deployment of vehicles.
The result of these regulations and our education and advocacy is continued growth of ridership in the Black Butterfly. While ridership in Central and Southeast Baltimore still makes up 36% of all citywide rides, ride origins from 2024-2025 increased by 144% in East Baltimore, 163% in Southwest Baltimore, and 133% in Northwest Baltimore — far greater increases in ridership than the roughly 60% increase seen across the White L.
Growth is most apparent in the Equity Zones. Starting your trip in one of these zones automatically results in a discounted ride, even if you aren’t enrolled in the Access Program. The Cherry Hill zone had the greatest increase — a whopping 283% increase from 2024-2025 — while Upton and West Coldspring had 166% and 158% increases over that period, respectively. All Equity Zones at least doubled in the number of ride origins between 2024-2025.
To sustain this equity-driven growth and keep the growing ridership safe, Baltimore City must do a number of things: invest in physically separated bike lanes on major streets, expand coordination with public transit, address improper parking and riding, expand the number of vehicle types, and lower the cost of trips to attract more users.
Despite loud skepticism from some critics in Baltimore, the ridership impact on our newest separated bike lanes speaks for itself. Lime trips on new physically separated bike lanes grew 207% more than baseline growth on streets without dedicated infrastructure, and reported safety incident rates in Baltimore are nearly 30% lower on streets with bike infrastructure than on those without. 28th Street saw a 526% increase in ridership, Harford Road saw a 423% increase, and Central Avenue saw a 229% increase between 2022 and 2025.
The map below shows the trip routes taken by riders utilizing the 28th Street separated bike lane this past year. Building safe, comfortable places to ride is the single most effective way to expand ridership.
Shared mobility addresses the first- and last- mile problem — helping residents cover gaps between their home, transit, and where they want to go. A Lime survey reports 68% of riders use shared mobility to connect to public transportation. Trips to and from transit stops average 1.2 miles in length, effectively doubling the typical half-mile walking distance (or “walkshed”) to transit. Over 80% of riders report that shared mobility makes it easier to reach parts of the city they couldn’t access before.
The largest complaint we hear about shared mobility is scooters and bikes clogging up the sidewalk. We have advocated for, and the city has strategically installed, numerous parking corrals — painted designated parking areas on the street. In addition to decluttering sidewalks, corrals make parking easier for riders, and often place the bikes and scooters directly next to transit stops for seamless transfers. Expanding this program by reserving space in the street next to crosswalks at intersections for corrals in all equity and high ridership areas citywide would immediately reduce complaints while increasing transit connectivity and safety for pedestrians by increasing crosswalk visibility at the intersections where corrals are installed.
The introduction of new e-bikes with a throttle option also ensures that riders of all abilities can utilize the service to navigate Baltimore’s hills in the summer heat. We will continue to advocate for more vehicle types that can carry cargo and better adapt to the needs of disabled residents.
Trip costs outside of equity zones, or if you are not enrolled in the Access Program, are too high. The city could address this by lowering the permit fee for the companies in exchange for discounting rides for all users, or directly subsidize ride costs as it does with the free Charm City Circulator.
The momentum behind this program is backed by overwhelming public support for better transportation options. Polling conducted by advocates at the Central Maryland Transportation Alliance and Rails to Trails Conservancy shows that 64% of Baltimoreans say bike lanes benefit people, with support strongest amongst Black and Latino residents. A majority of Baltimoreans want to increase the number of physically separated bike lanes in Baltimore City, and nearly 80% want to see more trails in their neighborhoods.
Ridership is exploding. There is a strong political mandate for more investment. It’s time for the city to act on our recommendations to keep users safe and continue to expand ridership, increasing access to opportunity for all Baltimoreans.
Omar Faison is Bikemore’s shared mobility coordinator. Originally from Richmond, Virginia, he has a love for shared mobility, expanding transit access, and community organizing.