What’s next for DublinBikes? Join the conversation on the city's future

With the Dublin Bikes contract set to expire in 2027, the next iteration of Dublin's bike sharing scheme offers a chance to expand further across the city and implement everything from electric bikes to GPS tracking

News Stephen Holland Local Democracy Reporter 12:27, 31 Aug 2026 View Image RedClick DublinBikes (Image: Jason Clarke)

The public are being asked to help shape the future of bike-sharing in the city, as Dublin City Council eyes a major overhaul of Dublin Bikes.

Dublin Bikes was launched in 2009 and is run by JCDecaux who support the provision of 1,600 bikes across 115 stations within the Canals. However, after 18 years of service, their contract is coming to an end in 2027 and DCC is investigating new options.

Green Party Councillor Ray Cunningham believes this is an opportunity to expand service to other areas around the city that don’t have access to bike sharing. “Over 40 million journeys have been taken on Dublin Bikes, but none of them started in Walkinstown or Drimnagh or Chapelizod,” the Ballyfermot-Drimnagh representative said in a social media video.

To address these types of concerns, the Green Party are hosting a public meeting on the future of Dublin Bikes to discover what the public feels should be prioritised in the new contract. “Some journeys are too far to cycle. Trains and trams are great for longer trips, but the station might be too far away to walk. So, let’s put the two together,” Cllr Cunningham suggests.

With areas like Ballyfermot and Cherry Orchard not covered at the moment, Cllr Cunningham explained that people in his constituency are often unable to choose an active travel-friendly option, but “the next Dublin Bikes contract is a chance to change that”.

Members of the Mobility and Public Realm SPC were previously updated on the future of Dublin Bikes at their May meeting, where Executive Manager Brendan O’Brien spoke about plans to more than double the current number and provide “a fleet of around 4,000 bikes". The contract expiration also gives the council an opportunity to take direct charge of the bike sharing infrastructure itself.

As it stands, DCC does not own the bikes or stations currently in operation, so the new contract could change that. Dublin was an early adopter of bike sharing and many other European countries have since followed suit with their own schemes.

Mr O’Brien told councillors they now have the chance to properly exploit all the technological advancements that have occurred over the past almost two decades. This includes options like having more stationless bikes, but that also comes with the risk of people carelessly abandoning their bikes on the side of the road when they no longer need them.

“That’s something we have by and large avoided in the city, but in other European cities it’s quite shocking,” Mr O’Brien said. He said the goal is to “retain the good things about the scheme” while embracing new ideas.

A council report stated that DCC intends to enter a procurement process to ensure bike sharing continues in the city post-2027 and that under the new system the council should own the stations, and potentially the bikes, themselves. They would then have an operator appointed for the operational, maintenance, and upgrade needs of the equipment.

These new plans could impact other providers like Bleeper and Moby who operate under a license granted by the council. These operators are currently responsible for around 900 additional bikes that must use bike stands as opposed to docking stations.

Chairperson of the Mobility SPC and Green Party Councillor Janet Horner said bike sharing has been a major success around the city, but that the innovation and transformation in the landscape since 2009 offers new opportunities. She cited the potential for electric bikes and said the replacement “is a big opportunity for us to take the next step” in delivering a world-class system.

Sinn Féin Cllr Ciarán Ó Meachair pointed out that his area of Dublin 8 is still waiting on stations to be installed and locals often have to rely on stationless bike shares. He said “I don’t think the stationless system is working very well” and there is a problem with vandalism and bikes being “thrown across footpaths” in the Liberties.

Bikes are often disturbed by vans “in one big chunk" which can cause accessibility problems as they block buddies and wheelchairs on the footpath. “I welcome proposals to expand outside the canals, but there’s a huge chunk that was supposed to be part of the rollout that still never got stations,” Cllr Ó Meachair said.

Green Party Cllr Donna Cooney said the replacement offers a chance to rethink the locations where bikes are provided, stating that train stations and outside medical facilities would benefit a lot of people. Bike sharing near public transport means that people with long commutes will be more likely to cycle their final stretch to work and bikes at hospitals would allow essential workers like doctors and nurses to avail of the service.

Keeping everything contained within a single app is another goal of the council according to Mr O'Brien. He said they also hope to utilise new technology and incorporate bike sharing into the Leap Card, or whatever its equivalent is in the future. Things like GPS sensors that weren't as common in 2009, but this now offers new opportunities for taking a data-driven approach to future developments.

If you have your own idea about how Dublin Bikes could be improved or aspects that should be considered for the new contract, then attend the Green Party’s public meeting at the Academy Plaza Hotel on September 9 at 7pm.

This content is funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme

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