To create a true shift in transit habits, Mexico City integrated its bike-share program with the city’s public transport network, making bicycle commuting an easier, faster, and more obvious choice for citizens.
While bike-sharing systems have become commonplace in many large cities, Mexico City’s ECOBICI stands out as one of the few systems in the world that is integrated with the city’s overall public transit network. One card allows users to access the metro, buses, trains, and bicycles – making pedal-powered transport a viable commuting method. This integration is vital to the system’s success, as data from a 2014 User Perception Survey shows that 87% of trips are made in combination with other modes of transportation.
ECOBICI has seen a massive uptake in popularity, with the number of daily trips increasing from 3,053 in 2010 to 33,700 in 2015. This is thanks, in part, to the ECOBICI’s size: the system boasts 6,025 bikes at 444 docking stations across 42 neighborhoods of the city. Similarly, the integrated card has made the shift to bicycle use easier for residents, and it has allowed the system to overcome one of the biggest challenges in transportation: changing commuting habits. Six of 10 system users did not previously use a bicycle as a mode of transport before ECOBICI was launched, and 14.5% of users shifted from driving to biking.
13,000 tons of CO2 reduced by 2020
The challenge
The decades-long development of a car culture in Mexico City has resulted in the presence of more than 5 million automobiles on the city’s streets. This has led to enormous traffic congestion problems, as drivers spend an average of four hours a day commuting. ECOBICI’s integration into Mexico City’s transit system and sheer size encourages faster, healthier, and more sustainable transportation options.
Co-benefits
Economic Severe traffic congestion costs Mexico City $10 billion in lost productivity each year. ECOBICI has generated more than 45.5 years worth of productivity savings since 2010.
Environmental By encouraging citizens to use bicycles and other public transit options instead of private vehicles, ECOBICI helps to reduce air pollution in the Mexican capital.
Health ECOBICI has found that 54% of their users have improved their physical condition since beginning to ride, 7% have lost weight, and 15% have improved their overall health.
Social Aware of the ability for transport access to improve social equity, ECOBICI’s targeted effort has doubled the number of women using the system from 2010 to 2015.
About Mexico City
Mexico City is the capital and most populous city of Mexico. Mexico City is one of the most important financial centers in the Americas. According to the most recent definition agreed upon by the federal and state governments, the Greater Mexico City population is 21.3 million people, making it the largest metropolitan area of the Western Hemisphere. In recent years, the local government has passed a wave of liberal policies, such as abortion on request, a limited form of euthanasia, no-fault divorce, and same-sex marriage.
