- 73.6LEGITIMACY SCORE
- 74.1SAFETY SCORE
- 4+CONTENT RATING
- FreePRICE
Capital Bikeshare App Complaints & User Negative Comments 2024
Capital Bikeshare app received 34 complaints, negative comments and reviews by users. Have you ever had a bad experience using Capital Bikeshare? Can you share your negative thoughts about capital bikeshare?
Please wait! Capital Bikeshare Facebook comments loading...
Capital Bikeshare for Negative User Reviews
✓ What the heckThis is my first time using this service and atp I don’t ever want to use Lyft again. First time renting a bike goes smooth. Rent it at 6 give it back at 11 at union station. Bike does not dock when I try to put it back. Immediately try to tell the app but of course not working. Almost miss my train messing with the app. I contact customer service and they tell me since the see it’s my first time using they will cancel the ride and waive the extra mileage fees. Nope bold face lie. My app proceeded to charge me .15 a mi to go from union station to Rockville and from Rockville to Baltimore and from Baltimore to Sparrows point…. The next day. I was charged for 24 hours on a bike I rode for 6. I am beyond livid because why does it take 3 separate interactions for absolutely nothing to get done. Delete my account..Version: 14.31.3
✓ Junk bikes, few e-bikes, expensiveCost $13 for 45 min ride. Explain how I could hire an entire car and driver (Uber) for close to same cost. E-bike listed as available in app but unavailable at station. Very few e-bikes in the system. Bikes weigh as much as cars and are rather unpleasant to ride. You also take your life in your hands amongst out of control car traffic, with no helmet to boot. This service has been a disappointment since day one years and years ago..Version: 15.10.3
✓ Before you rideObviously these bikes need maintenance occasionally and will not be in perfect condition. But after riding 5 miles to work and not finding an available dock I got charged $25. I ride a bike daily so now I will just buy my own bike to avoid this problem and stop using the bike share. I also found this style bike is not for me as they don’t have a straight truss bar from seat to handle bar. But it gets the job done..Version: 14.36.3
✓ The old version was far betterI liked the old version so much better than this new one. The new one takes longer to show stations on the map, longer to show bikes available on the map, doesn’t say when it last refreshed bike availability at each station, uses station icons that no longer show full vs empty ratios, no longer allows you to find directions and which stations would be closest to your origin and destination, no longer shows any points details in your account or on each station, and many other things that make it worse. Please bring back the old app - it had been refined to perfection..Version: 13.16.0
✓ February 2020 UpdateThis update made the app worse, unfortunately. The update removed helpful features like address search and route-mapping. There’s now no way to figure out how to get to a specific location without switching to another app. The update also removed the toggle between available docks and bikes, so now the only way to see if there are open docks is to click on each station. Please bring back these old features!.Version: 13.15.0
✓ Occasionally buggy and lack of clear infoThe app looks reasonably slick but if you’re a new user it can be daunting if it’s your first time. In my case, a bike was rented but it wasn’t shown in the app when you approaching a 45 minute time limit while on a day pass and you’ll start to accrue extra charges. Info isn’t clear in the app. App does a good job with map info showing you wracks and bikes available. System itself is wonky. As said before, dearth of new user help info. Racks can be troublesome. Some bikes may not be available. Oddly enough can’t use Lyft car request while having a bike out..Version: 14.44.3
✓ Decent but horrible customer supportThings are fine unless you need to actually get in contact with someone. Have had several seemingly easy to fix issues and it’s nearly impossible to get responses. Just a warning that Bike Angel points occasionally won’t be applied to rides and CaBi will refuse to add them. E-Bikes’ pedal assist won’t work and they’ll refuse to refund the surcharge. You’re really on your own with this service..Version: 13.81.3
✓ Mandatory, horrible to useYou almost have to use this app to use the bike share system but it gets more difficult to use with every update. Lyft hijacked the app and now tries to steer you to all sorts of bikes which clutters the map. An annoying pop up reminds you to park at a station with every click even as most of the bikes it shows are NOT in the station system. When you’re running out of time on your 30 minute ride and desperate to find a docking site you have to click thru the pop up and pick through a multitude of too-similar icons and then figure out how to orient the map..Version: 13.73.3
✓ Awful; Not Written By Anyone Who Actually Uses the SystemIt’s barely useful for actually navigating the city. 1. Stations often just don’t even appear on the map until you tap, zoom, and wait a bit. 2. They removed the ability to have favorite stations which would allow you to easily see whether your common destination stations still have docks available. 3. It zooms you back to your current location all the time, making it even more impossible to keep track of whether your destination has docks or you have to divert. Come on guys. Let someone who uses the system build this and make something useful for riders. It’s not hard..Version: 15.8.3
✓ Pricing is deceiving!They have 3 big pictures stating their pricing. The one we used clearly said $8 per 24 hour period. What they didn’t say was that that 24 hour period only allows you unlimited rides at maximum length of 30 mins each! What they try to do is make it seem as if you get the bike for 24 hours for $8. I got a $50 charge on my card and I was like what in the world?! Then I looked up reviews online of their service and everyone is complaining about the same thing! What a sham! Your max ride time is 30 mins! After that you will be charged fees every 30 mins!.Version: 10.2.0
✓ Everything Is BrokenTried to get three rides today. Each time experienced some issues and had to call the customer service. First time, the station not release the bike but still charged me. Second time, could not return the bike to the dock. Though I parked to a public parking ramp and it’s allowed in the area, I still got charged for the $25 parking fee. Third time, could not dock the bike back to the station again. I called right away. They asked me to park at another station, which is not working either. Guess what, I had to pay the fee again! What a scam company! Now I understand why the bikes are everywhere but people just grab the scooter and other e-bikes even this being much cheaper..Version: 15.15.3
✓ Capacity issues that have only gotten worseIf you’re considering getting a Capital Bikeshare membership at the moment, please keep in mind that there are some stations that are NEVER stocked with normal bikes. I live in the Adams Morgan area, I got the subscription because I have 3 stations within a 5 min walk, and they are regularly completely out of working bikes. I have also run into a situation (going to Georgetown during the day) where all of the stations are FULL within a mile radius, and I have to park way out of my way to get where I’m going. It makes me feel like I can’t rely on the bikeshare at all. When they’re available, I appreciate the convenience of Capital bikeshare, but you all need to increase capacity (or figure out how to cycle bikes in and out of their stations better). Otherwise I’ll probably cancel and use my own bike..Version: 14.2.3
✓ Good luck if you’re under 5’ 4”I am 5’3 and could barely reach the pedals with the seat on the lowest setting, to the point that I could not use the bike. Sure, 5’3” is on the shorter side, but I know dozens of girls in the 5’2”-3” range. Beyond that, I struggled getting the bike to release from the dock, as well as docking it when I was finished. Really like the idea of this so wish it was more suitable to people my height and docking was more efficient..Version: 12.15.0
✓ 2/27 update is terribleThe new update to the app as of 2/27 is a terrible downgrade for a number of reasons. 1. The app inexplicably lost its navigation function. I liked to use CaBi’s navigation function because it recommended safer routes for bikers than google maps. It was also helpful to figure out which stations to use. 2. The app makes you go through a Lyft-style review process every single time you ride a bike. This is extremely obnoxious and unnecessary. 3. The icons that indicate each station and how full or empty they are is difficult to read at a glance. 4. The app did not correctly load my total number of rides. For an upgrade that was announced with this much fanfare, I’m seriously disappointed and worried about the direction the entire program is heading..Version: 13.14.0
✓ 30 min not enough timeWe’re in Nova where the bike stations are few and far between. The idea is awesome and we’re psyched to have a dock in our neighborhood, but of our 30 min ride 15 was going out of our way to find a dock to check into. Miami had a 2 hour limit, which was wonderful and left us feeling like we weren’t rushing. Here we wanted to stop along the W&OD, but couldn’t because we needed to get to George Mason ASAP. Forget about going out towards FC. The last dock is at EFC and navigating 15 min out and then having to turn back brings you nowhere. Great in theory for downtown, but not an enjoyable experience outside of town. And honestly, who’s going to be able to commute on a 3 speed on the Custis from EFC into the city in 30 min?.Version: 10.2.0
✓ Hard to navigate & not enough time!The app needs voice navigation!! It’s extremely hard to ride the bike, hold & look at my phone for directions, & not kill myself or others while navigating a dark city. The 30 minutes docking rule is ridiculous & does not allow enough time to navigate the city in the dark when you have to look at your phone. I spent more time on phone with customer service than riding the bike because docks were always full when my 30 minutes was up. Bump the time to an hour & I might try again. Not worth the hassle..Version: 11.5.1
✓ Ride didn’t end correctlyThis was my second time using this service. I mainly go for a 10 min ride down the street and back. When I returned the bike and the station showed it’s locked I left. The App didn’t send any notifications if it was completed ongoing. So I figured it’s done. Then I received a text message from Lyft telling that the ride still going on and I’m being charged!!!!! There was no place to follow this up. Ride wasn’t listed in my App. I reported the issue. Now, a day after, in charred $102 for a $2 ride!!!!!! This is ridiculous ..Version: 13.96.3
✓ To much dataComing from Europe you have to watch the cost for data..Version: 12.13.0
✓ Misinformation re: available bikesConsistently, the app tells you bikes are available when they are not. Beyond being annoying and frustrating, this is da vero is considering women oftentimes walk a certain distance, assuming a bike will be available when it in fact is not & will not unlock. I called customer service & they said that the bikes werent unlocking because someone who rode it previously must have reported an issue. Ok...so then why doesn’t the app reflect this? It should show ONLY bikes that are able to be unlocked, not those waiting for maintenance..Version: 13.45.3
✓ Why Can’t This City Run a Proper Bikeshare?There are never any ebikes, and in the rare instance when you find one at a docking station, they’re broken and out of service. Today seemed like a lucky day—FOUR ebikes instead of the usual zero. All four were broken and out of service. One was still listed on the app, for some reason, despite being out of service. Probably just to get your hopes up for nothing, which is what Capital Bike Share does best! What is the point of a bikeshare system with no working ebikes? You can’t even claim that you’re limited by the number of docking slots available, because ebikes don’t need to be returned to a docking station! They can be locked anywhere. And yet working ebikes are nowhere to be found..Version: 14.30.3
✓ Bad service support to improve their productI was excited when finding this opportunity to bike around and park it during my DC trip. I appreciate the innovation to bring people convenience and a different travel experience. However new business always has opportunity /unknowns to improve in the process. One problem we discovered was that the destination had no available station for us to park the bike. We couldn’t tour the place as they suggested on the website. When I contacted the support through chat. I was directed to a place nearby however there was only one station and I rented two bikes as a group. Not to mention that station was broken. The first service person provided $5 discount to one bike but not the other in the same group ( rented by same account in same app). When I asked multiple times, no one responded. Till I called, they said we are so sorry for your experience but nothing we can do. It is so ironic that they admitted it was a bad experience but won’t do anything..Version: 15.10.3
✓ Can’t Use on iPhone 12I have been a long time user of CaBi and had no issues with the app.... until I moved to an iPhone 12. The main problem is that the app design is such that you cannot use the drop down menu in the upper right corner because it is behind the iPhone clock. And the options at the bottom of the page do not offer any options for using the app. So... I had to delete.... and now can’t use it with my account to search for bikes or check anything..Version: 13.75.3
✓ ADD EMAIL REGISTRATIONApp ‘enter your number page’ kept crashing (for 3/5 in our group), and we had trouble getting the texts with non-US sims and there was no other way to register such as via email..Version: 14.62.3
✓ Completely Useless Unless You Are AmericanManaged to log on once and buy a day pass. After that it logged me out and couldn’t log back in again so got charged $8 for one 20 minute ride. We tried all 3 of our UK mobiles to try and log back in but it kept saying invalid number. We tried everything but nothing worked. You should send me a refund. In the end we used the circulator buses which were actually cheaper..Version: 15.25.3
✓ Don’t use during a popular eventCustomer support was no help in addressing issues with returning a bike. Tried 4 locations and all filled by the time I got there, showed availability when there was none, or were blocked off and it wasn’t reflected in the app. Dozens of other people in the same situation. Customer service was useless and provided no other options for returning the bike. Insisted that the bike had to be docked. Even when one station that showed 9 open docks but it was blocked off, they provided no alternatives. Don’t use if there’s any type of event. It will not save you any time..Version: 15.29.3
✓ Service is Fantastic. App is NotI give CaBi as a service 5 stars. No question. The recent app updates however are subpar. The map used to be easier to read at a glance to know if a dock had bikes. Now the color indicators are ittybitty dots and the number of bikes is also pretty small. The login screens and UI are clunky, often asking me to input the same information two or three times on different pages. You could also use the map without logging in before, not sure why they took that away..Version: 13.28.3
✓ Docking StationI parked the city bike at 4th and Rhode Island docking station to swap for another bike that I wanted. Unfortunately, the counter kept counting saying I had the bike out. So tried pulling the bike back out but it was locked in. So now I don’t either bikes because the system doesn’t show I docked. The counter is going on 24 hours that I have the bike. I sent several pics to show the address and the bike where it’s locked. I sent emails, submitted in the system my problem and have not gotten a proper response to stop the counter so I may get another bike. I’ve never had a major issue like this since I started using city bike a few months back. It’s an extreme inconvenience when you can’t reach anyone to fix the issue. As of right now the follow day. The counter is going on 24 hours that I have the bike. Sad!.Version: 13.37.3
✓ Try Harder.There is nothing more frustrating than a transportation system that does not a good infrastructure in place when you have an emergency while using their product. First, There is no direct contact option through either the CaBi app or the Lyft app (owner). If you need to call them in a pinch you’ll have to Google their phone number and look through a few different pages before you find the correct one. This does not guarantee you will speak to a person. The reporting options within the app are insufficient. If your bike goes missing (gets stolen) you cannot select this as an option. If you had to ditch the bike because the tire blew out in the middle of a ride on the way to your job - there is no option for this either. I put Try Harder because you can build a more functional app that allows the end user to be self-sufficient or create a robust customer service infrastructure to help the end user navigate problems using your service. Pretty much anytime you experience an issue after you check out the bike you have to speak to a human and whether you’re on your way somewhere or not you are responsible for the bike. So, your only option is to wait around until someone picks up the phone..Version: 13.45.3
✓ Unreliable appI used the app for the first time today. I thought I needed to dock the bike every 45 minutes so as not to incur additional charges on the day pass. I was able to unlock a bike the first and second time. However, the app stopped working. Each time I scanned the barcode on a bike, it would indicate it was unlocking but after about a minute I got a message that the bike was either waiting for repair or was unavailable and to scan another bike. After trying all 5 bikes at one docking station, I walked to another station about 10 minutes away and tried all 14 bikes. Each time a message came up that the bike was unavailable. I was stuck without a bike to ride the 8 miles home..Version: 14.30.3
✓ Horrible ExperienceLess than 25% of the electric bikes work or will not release from the dock even when the app shows them as available at the docking station. The bikes do not always dock back at the station causing you to pay an additional fee. Almost every single one of the red manual bikes is broken in some capacity making them difficult and miserable to ride unless you are going downhill..Version: 13.76.3
✓ Expensive and complicatedThis is a really sadly run system. The cost of this trip for 2 was that of a limo. 17 + dollars for 4.5 miles. Go PUBLIC system that encourages folks to ride. Postscript: the locking mechanism didn’t work. So under a threat of paying 1200 dollars, I had to pay Lyft 40 dollars to take me go lock the bike. Only to find out that the locking mechanism was not working. No word on refunding the $40. But that you knew. They were ‘kind enough’ not to charge me for the remainder of their errors. Thank you Lyft, I mean CaBi..Version: 13.45.3
✓ What happened to the trip details?I like the ease of the new scan feature, for those of us with annual memberships and no bike key (signed up through the old app). However, I miss the detailed trip reports in the old app. Being able to see the route you took as well as the accurate number of miles you rode on each trip made the app more interesting and engaging. New app is easier to use but boring as hell!.Version: 13.16.0
✓ Not workingThe app is not working; you should take Philly app in example.Version: 14.52.3
✓ SCAM! I would give zero stars if possibleThis service is a complete scam! My husband and I purchased two 24-pass for $14 and used the bike for a total of 4hrs, which resulted in additional charge of the $63 dollars!!! There is absolutely no way anyone can figure out the fee system and beware of going over 30 minutes even with a “24-hr Pass”. This essentially means you are required to watch the clock while trying to relax outside, checking your email for time warnings/threats of extra fees and biking only between bike docks instead of on the many beautiful bike paths. Also FYI this is a service owned by Lyft and not by the city government as originally stated on the app site when I downloaded the app. DO NOT USE!!!.Version: 12.15.0
🙂 Capital Bikeshare Positive Reviews
Capital Bikeshare works most of the time. If it is not working for you, we recommend you excersise some patience and retry later or contact Capital Bikeshare.
⛔ Capital Bikeshare Problems
