citybik.es

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:

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.

CityBikes is an open bike-sharing data project covering more than 400 cities, and it is useful to four main groups: developers building transportation apps or doing research, companies with data needs, cyclists who want bike-share information, and data scientists or enthusiasts who want to use or contribute to the dataset. The benefit in each case depends on what you bring: developers and researchers need the API or dataset, companies typically need a data partner, and cyclists mainly need the end product rather than the raw data.

Developers

CityBikes was started because no open data existed for a local bike-sharing system, so the project was built to provide bike-sharing data for apps, research, and projects. The CityBikes API is described as the most widely used dataset for building bike-sharing transportation projects.

If you are a developer, you can:

• Build a transportation app on top of the API instead of collecting bike-share data city by city.
• Use the dataset for research or a project that needs bike-share availability data.
• Browse existing projects for examples of what others have built.

The site offers two direct entry points: Show me projects and Take me to the API.

Companies

Companies are addressed as a group with a data problem. The site invites companies to contact CityBikes for help with that problem, and frames the relationship as reciprocal: the company gets help, and in return helps keep the free repository working.

That makes CityBikes a fit when you need bike-sharing data but do not want to maintain your own collection pipeline. The condition to note is that the site presents this as a contact-based arrangement rather than a self-serve commercial product, so the specific terms are not stated on the page.

Cyclists

Cyclists benefit indirectly. CityBikes began as an Android app for a local bike-sharing system, and that Android app is still available, helping cyclists around the world. If you are a cyclist, the practical value is the app and the bike-share information it surfaces, not the raw dataset.

Data scientists and data enthusiasts

The site names two related roles:

• Data scientists looking for a fresh dataset to research.
• Data enthusiasts who want to participate in making more information available.

For the first group, the value is the dataset itself, spanning more than 400 cities. For the second, the value is contribution: the project states that community support is the only way it has been built and kept running, and it provides a I want to contribute path.

What makes the data usable across these groups

The open-data stance is stated explicitly: any project resulting from a public-private partnership should put the data where it belongs, in the public. That is the condition that makes CityBikes suitable for apps, research, and public-interest projects rather than only internal use.

How to get started

1. Decide which group you are in: building an app, researching, contributing, or just riding.
2. Use Take me to the API if you need the data programmatically, or Show me projects if you want to see prior work first.
3. Use I want to contribute if you want to help expand or maintain the data.
4. Contact [email protected] for company data needs or general questions.

The main thing to verify before committing is whether your city is among the supported networks, since coverage is described as more than 400 cities rather than universal.

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

How to start using it

1. 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.
2. Look at existing projects — a "Show me projects" section illustrates what others have built, useful for judging whether your use case fits.
3. Contribute — if you want to add or improve coverage, the site provides a "I want to contribute" path.
4. 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.

You can reach the CityBikes team by email at [email protected]. If you want to contribute, the site has a dedicated "I want to contribute" link that points you to the ways you can get involved. The project also states that community support is what keeps it running, and it explicitly invites data enthusiasts to help make more information available. Companies are invited to contact the team about data problems and to help keep the free repository working.

Ways to Get in Touch

The site lists a single contact address, [email protected], under a "Feel free to reach us" heading. There is no separate support portal or phone number mentioned in the available material, so email is the documented channel.

How to Contribute

CityBikes describes itself as a project built and kept running by a community. The site's own framing of who can help is broad:

• Developers — build transportation apps or work with the dataset.
• Data scientists — use it as a research dataset.
• Data enthusiasts — participate in making more information available.
• Companies — bring data problems to the team and help sustain the free repository.

If you fall into one of these groups, the starting point is the "I want to contribute" link, which the site presents as the entry point for contribution. The exact steps beyond that link are not spelled out in the available page content, so treat the link as the first action and expect the destination to define the specifics.

What the Project Is, in Brief

CityBikes provides bike sharing data for apps, research, and projects. It began because the founders wanted to build an Android app for their local bike sharing system and found no open data available; rather than build yet another app, they built a data project. It now supports more than 400 cities, and its API is described as the most widely used dataset for building bike sharing transportation projects.

The project's stated position on data is that open data becomes real only by releasing open data — and that data from public-private partnerships belongs with the public.

Practical Notes Before You Write

• State your purpose clearly. Whether you are a developer, researcher, or company, the site organizes its audience by these roles, so naming yours helps the team route you.
• Expect email as the channel. No other contact method is documented in the available material.
• Contribution paths may vary. The site confirms a contribution entry point exists but does not detail what happens after you follow it, so check the linked page rather than assuming a process.
• Companies should say what they need. The site frames company contact around solving a data problem while helping keep the free repository running — a two-way framing worth reflecting in your message.

For anything beyond a general inquiry, the most reliable first step is still [email protected], ideally with a short description of who you are and what you want to do with or for the data.

CityBikes is a bike-sharing data project that provides open data for apps, research, and other projects, currently covering more than 400 cities. Its key features are open data, broad city coverage, a community-driven model, and a widely used API for building bike-sharing transportation projects. It is aimed at developers, companies, cyclists, and anyone who needs bike-sharing data.

Open data

CityBikes states that it believes the only way to make open data a reality is by releasing open data information. In particular, it argues that any project resulting from a public-private partnership should put the data where it belongs: the public.

This means the project is built around making bike-sharing data available rather than keeping it closed. For anyone evaluating whether to use it, the relevant condition is that you need data you can access and build on — CityBikes positions itself as that kind of source.

Coverage of more than 400 cities

CityBikes supports more than 400 cities, and according to the project, that number will keep growing. The coverage grew from one city to over 400 through what CityBikes describes as hard work and an amazing community.

If your project depends on bike-sharing data from a specific city, the practical step is to check whether that city is included in the current coverage before committing to the dataset.

Community-driven

CityBikes says it has always been obvious that the only way to build and keep the project running was with a community supporting it. The project invites people to contribute and provides a contact address, [email protected], for reaching out.

This matters if you want to participate in making more information available, or if you need to ask about contributing data or code. The project explicitly lists data enthusiasts among the people it wants to involve.

API for developers

The CityBikes API is described as the most widely used dataset for building bike-sharing transportation projects. The site offers a direct entry point to the API, alongside a way to see projects built with the data.

For developers, the intended flow is: use the API to pull bike-sharing data, then build transportation apps or research projects on top of it. The site also addresses data scientists looking for a fresh dataset and developers who want to build the next big transportation app.

Who can benefit

CityBikes names three main groups:

• Developers — build transportation apps, conduct data science research, or participate in making more information available.
• Companies — get help with a data problem and, in turn, help keep the free repository working; the site asks interested companies to contact it for more information.
• Cyclists — the project began with an Android app that is still available and helps cyclists around the world.

Key features at a glance

To get started, you can go directly to the API, look at existing projects for examples, or contact the project at [email protected] if you want to contribute or have a company data need.