From coast to coast across the United States, bikeshare programs are becoming the hottest way to get around. Not only is biking good for the Earth and great exercise, but it saves commuters the cost of gas and maintenance on a car. Big cities throughout America have seen bikeshare programs kick off and instantly become very popular. Now, Fairfax County can add itself to the list of places where folks can rent a set of wheels and go.

It was announced last week that Capital Bikeshare, a bikesharing service based out of (you guessed it) Washington, D.C., will be installing several bike rental stations in Fairfax. Capital Bikeshare just celebrated the installation of its 400th station, which is located at Division Avenue and Foot Street NE near the H.D. Woodson Senior High School in D.C. In addition to stations throughout the capital, Capital Bikeshare also has stations in Montgomery County, Maryland, and Arlington and Alexandria, Virginia. Fairfax marks one more step in the company’s regional expansion. 

The first bikeshare stations in Fairfax will be located in Reston and at Tysons Corner. According to the Fairfax County Department of Transportation, all the equipment needed for the stations at these locations has arrived, although there is no launch date set as of yet. The press release announcing the 400th station announced that service will begin sometime in October. The expansion, costing $1.7 million, will situate 80 bikes and 14 stations to the Tysons Corner area and 132 bikes at 15 stations throughout Reston. Riders may rent a bike and ride one-way between two different station areas. 

Capital Bikeshare, which says that it facilitates 12,000 bikeshare trips per day, has been in the news lately for problems with its docking stations. Bikeshare users have complained that they dock the bikes at the end of their ride and experience a red light (instead of the expected green one indicating a successful docking) indicating a problem. The bikes are then locked into the station, leaving riders confused as to what to do. If the bike is not properly docked and registered as returned, riders can rack up tremendous fees, and if the bike is stolen due to improper docking, the rider can be charged up to $1,200 for that as well. Capital Bikeshare says that it has technicians available around the clock and that, when in doubt, riders should call customer service rather than risk a bike not being properly returned.