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EnglishWhat is CityBikes?
Updated
CityBikes is an open-data project that provides bike-sharing information for more than 400 cities worldwide, exposed mainly through a public API. It is aimed at developers, researchers, companies, and cyclists who need programmatic access to shared-bike network data rather than a consumer-facing map or app. The project exists because its founders could not find open data for their own local bike-sharing system when they wanted to build an Android app.
What CityBikes actually provides
The core offering is a dataset and API covering bike-sharing networks around the world. According to the project, the CityBikes API is "the most widely used dataset for building bike sharing transportation projects." The data is intended for apps, research, and other projects.
Key characteristics from the site:
- Open data — the project states that any project resulting from a public-private partnership should release its data publicly.
- +400 cities — coverage has grown from a single city to over 400 through community contributions, and the project says it will keep growing.
- Community-driven — the project describes community support as the only way it has been built and kept running.
Who it is for
| Audience | How they use CityBikes |
|---|---|
| Developers | Build transportation apps or integrate bike-share data into existing products |
| Data scientists / researchers | Use the dataset for analysis and research |
| Data enthusiasts | Contribute to making more information available |
| Companies | Get help with data problems and support the free repository |
| Cyclists | Use the original Android app and related tools |
How to start using it
- Explore the API — the site offers a direct "Take me to the API" entry point. This is the primary way to consume the data programmatically.
- Look at existing projects — a "Show me projects" section illustrates what others have built, useful for judging whether your use case fits.
- Contribute — if you want to add or improve coverage, the site provides a "I want to contribute" path.
- Contact the team — for company or partnership inquiries, the project lists [email protected].
What to keep in mind
The site does not publish pricing details, so whether access is free for all uses or subject to conditions is not stated on the page. It also does not describe authentication, rate limits, or data format in the material available here — you would need to check the API documentation directly before committing to an integration. The project positions itself as a free repository supported by its community and company partnerships, but that framing should be verified against current terms rather than assumed.