Madrid’s public bicycle-sharing program, Bicimad, has reached record levels of use in 2025, with more than 2.2 million trips registered in July and August alone. The summer figures mark a 52.04% increase compared with 2024 and a 55.48% rise over 2023, according to data released by EMT Madrid, the municipal transport company that operates the service.
Bicimad, launched in 2014 and integrated into the city’s public transport system, is now seeing its highest ridership since inception. June set an all-time monthly record with 1,317,430 trips, averaging 43,914 rides per day, while July followed with 1,213,628 journeys. The first half of September has already exceeded those numbers, averaging 54,330 trips per day.
Record Daily and Monthly Usage
This September has broken several daily records for Bicimad. On Monday, September 8, when rides were offered free to coincide with the back-to-school period, users made 66,605 trips — the highest daily total in the program’s 11-year history. The following day, September 9, also free of charge, saw 65,713 journeys, the second-highest daily figure recorded.
Even on non-free days, September produced record-setting results. On September 12, Bicimad recorded 58,426 trips, while September 11 and 10 reached 57,433 and 55,560 rides respectively. By comparison, before 2025, the highest average was November 2023 with 41,684 daily trips, and July 2024 with 39,149 daily journeys.
Most Popular Stations and Growth Trends
The busiest stations this summer were concentrated in central Madrid. The Plaza de la Cebada station accounted for 0.79% of all uses, followed by Metro Lago with 0.74% and Eugenio Caxes–Antonio López in Usera with 0.73%. Stations at Príncipe Pío A and Plaza de Lavapiés completed the top five, with 0.71% and 0.59% of total trips respectively.
Bicimad’s overall growth in 2025 has already surpassed full-year totals for the previous two years. Users completed 7,613,949 trips in 2023 and 9,945,558 in 2024, while the first eight months of 2025 alone reached 8,200,944. Since the system’s launch, it has accumulated 768,661 registered users, including 38,994 new sign-ups in July and August, up 17% from the same period in 2024.
The length and duration of trips have also increased. Average ride times in July reached 16.66 minutes, rising to 17.14 minutes in August. Distances peaked in August with an average of 2.95 km per journey, the highest in Bicimad’s history.
Usage patterns show men represent a slight majority of riders at 55.26%, compared with 44.74% women. By age, the largest group of users are between 20 and 29 years old, representing 44.37% of trips, followed by the 30–39 group with 24.9%. Riders aged 40–49 account for 13.35%, while those aged 50–59 make up 8.36%. Younger users under 20 represent 5.93%, and 3.1% are 60 years or older.
With demand reaching historic highs, Bicimad continues to expand its role in Madrid’s urban mobility strategy. EMT Madrid said the latest figures confirm the service’s consolidation as a core element of the city’s transport network, combining sustainable mobility with growing public adoption during peak travel months.
Photo Credit: AlvaroMP / Shutterstock.com
