How Can I Use CityBikes Data or API?

Updated

CityBikes is an open data project that provides bike sharing data for apps, research, and projects, currently covering more than 400 cities. If you want to use it, the fastest path is to go to the CityBikes website and click "Take me to the API" to reach the API page. From there, developers can access the data, browse existing project examples, or contribute to the project.

Getting to the Data

The homepage is organized around a few clear entry points:

  • Take me to the API — the main route for developers who want to pull bike sharing data programmatically.
  • Show me projects — a way to see how others have used CityBikes data before you build your own.
  • I want to contribute — for people who want to add data or help maintain the project.

If you're unsure where to start, the "Show me projects" link is useful for understanding what the dataset can support before you commit to a build.

Who Uses CityBikes and How

CityBikes describes three main audiences, each with a different way of using the data:

Audience How they use CityBikes
Developers Build transportation apps, or use the dataset for data science and research
Companies Solve data problems and support the free repository
Cyclists Use the original Android app to find bike sharing information

The project began when its founders wanted to build an Android app for their local bike sharing system but found no open data available. Rather than build yet another app, they created CityBikes as a shared data source. That Android app is still available and serves cyclists worldwide.

Key Features That Matter for Use

  • Open data — CityBikes releases open data information, based on the belief that data from public-private partnerships belongs to the public.
  • +400 cities — coverage has grown from one city to more than 400 through community effort.
  • Community-driven — the project is maintained with community support.

The CityBikes API is described as the most widely used dataset for building bike sharing transportation projects, which makes it a reasonable starting point if you're building something in that space.

Contributing or Getting in Touch

If you want to contribute data or code, use the "I want to contribute" link on the site. For anything else, CityBikes can be reached at [email protected].

What to Check Before You Build

  • Confirm the API page for current access details, since the site doesn't state pricing or login requirements on the homepage.
  • Look at existing projects first if you want to avoid duplicating work.
  • If you need data for a city not yet covered, contributing is the intended path rather than assuming it's already available.