Apple Maps will make getting around easier with new bike-sharing feature

News
By Mark Knapp
published

Find a bike and place to park it

Life just got easier for commuters and adventurers who like having bikes available without needing to own one. Apple Maps has been updated to include data from Ito World, which means it now knows where stations are for 176 bike share systems in 179 cities around the world.

TechCrunch reports that the data in Apple Maps doesn't include how many bikes are available at each sharing station or how many parking spaces are open. So, for users that often rely on these shared bikes for regular travel, Apple Maps won't be a big help there. This information could eventually be added, but for now, the bike sharing services' dedicated apps will be necessary.

However, Apple Maps' new feature will shine when any bikers travel to a new town and want to explore on a human-powered pair of wheels. Since there are, as Ito World's data indicates, dozens and dozens of bike sharing services, you can't go to a different city and just expect to find your familiar service. 

Need a Ford GoBike in San Francisco? Need a Divvy in Chicago? How about a Citi Bike in New York? Typing "bike sharing" into Apple Maps' search bar will find the stations of the local service, so you'll know where to pick up and drop off a bike.

The addition of bicycle sharing helps Apple Maps move ever closer in the race to catch up to Google Maps. Let's be honest, bike sharing isn't equivalent to the Mario Kart skin Google rolled out to Google Maps for MAR10 Day, but it's a good start.

Update: Interested in bike sharing information for cities the world over? Here's the full list straight from Apple:

  • ANZ:
  • Australia
  • Brisbane (CityCycle)
  • Monash University (Monash Bikeshare)

  • New Zealand
  • Auckland (nextbike Auckland)
  • Christchurch (nextbike Christchurch)

  • Europe: 
  • Austria
  • 10vorWien (nextbike 10vorWien) 
  • Amstetten (nextbike Amstetten)
  • Innsbruck (stadtrad Innsbruck)
  • Klagenfurt (nextbike Klagenfurt)
  • Lunz am See (nextbike Lunz am See)
  • Mödling (nextbike Mödling)
  • NeusiedlerSee (nextbike Neusiedler See)
  • Römerland (nextbike Römerland)
  • Serfaus (nextbike Serfaus)
  • St.Pölten (nextbike St.Polten)
  • Thermenregion (nextbike Thermenregion)
  • Traisen-Gölsental (nextbike Traisen-Gölsental)
  • Triestingtal (nextbike Triestingtal)
  • Tulln (nextbike Tulln)
  • Unteres Traisental (nextbike Unteres Traisental)
  • Vienna (citybike Wien)
  • Wiener Neustadt (nextbike Wiener Neustadt)
  • Wiener Wald (nextbike Wiener Wald)

  • Belgium
  • Antwerp (A velo)
  • Brussels (Villo!)
  • Namur (Li bia velo)

  • Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Sarajevo (nextbike BiH)

  • Croatia
  • Brinje (nextbike Brinje)
  • Gospić (nextbike Gospić)
  • Ivanic Grad (nextbike Ivanic Grad)
  • Karlovac (nextbike Karlovac)
  • Makarska (nextbike Makarsa)
  • Šibenik (nextbike Sibenik)
  • Zadar (nextbike Zadar)
  • Zagreb (nextbike Zagreb)

  • Cyprus
  • Limassol (nextbike Limassol)

  • Estonia
  • Tallinn (SIXT Tallinn)

  • Finland
  • Helsinki (alepa Fillari)

  • France
  • Amiens (Velam)
  • Besançon (Vélocité Besançon)
  • Cergy-Pontoise (VélO2)
  • Créteil (Cristolib)
  • Lille (V lille)
  • Lyon (Vélo'V)
  • Marseille (le vélo)
  • Mulhouse (Vélocité Mulhouse)
  • Nancy (vélOstan'lib)
  • Nantes (Bicloo)
  • Paris (Velib)
  • Rouen (Cy'clic)
  • Toulouse (Vélô Toulouse)

  • Germany
  • Augsburg (swa Rad Augsburg)
  • Bensheim (VRNnextbike Bensheim)
  • Berlin (nextbike Berlin)
  • Bochum (metropolradruhr Bochum)
  • Bottrop (metropolradruhr Bottrop)
  • Cologne (KVB rad)
  • Dortmund (metropolradruhr Dortmund)
  • Dresden (sz-bike)
  • Duisburg (Metropolradruhr Duisburg)
  • Düsseldorf (nextbike Dusseldorf)
  • Essen (metropolradruhr Essen)
  • Flensburg (nextbike Flensburg)
  • Frankfurt (nextbike Frankfurt)
  • Gelsenkirchen (metropolradruhr Gelsenkirchen)
  • Gütersloh (nextbike Gutersloh)
  • Hamburg (nextbike Hamburg)
  • Hamm (metropolradruhr Hamm)
  • Heidelberg (VRNnextbike Heidelberg)
  • Herne (metropolradruhr Herne)
  • Karlsruhe (Fächerrad)
  • Leipzig (nextbike Leipzig)
  • Ludwigshafen (VRNnextbike Ludwigshafen)
  • Magdeburg (nextbike Magdeburg)
  • Mannheim (VRNnextbike Mannheim)
  • Mülheim a.d.R. (metropolradruhr Muelheim)
  • München (nextbike Munchen)
  • Norderstedt (nextbike Norderstedt)
  • Nürnberg (NorisBike)
  • Oberhausen (metropolradruhr Oberhausen)
  • Offenburg (nextbike Offenburg)
  • Potsdam (nextbike Potsdam)
  • Quickborn (nextbike Quickborn)
  • Schorndorf (e-bike-stationen Schorndorf)
  • Schwieberdingen (e bike stationen Schwieberdingen)
  • Speyer (VRNnextbike Speyer)
  • Südheide (nextbike Südheide)
  • Tübingen (nextbike Tübingen)
  • Usedom (useDomraD)
  • Wachau (nextbike Wachau)
  • Würzburg (nextbike Wuerzburg)

  • Hungary
  • Budapest (bubi)

  • Ireland
  • Cork (Coca-Cola zero Cork)
  • Dublin (dublinbikes)
  • Galway (Coca-Cola zero Galway)
  • Limerick (Coca-Cola zero Limerick)

  • Latvia
  • Jūrmala (SIXT Jūrmala)
  • Rīga (SiXT Riga) 

  • Lebanon
  • Byblos (Bike 4 All Byblos)

  • Lithuania
  • Vilnius (Cyclocity)

  • Luxembourg
  • Luxembourg (Veloh) 

  • Malta
  • Malta (nextbike Malta)

  • Netherlands
  • Maastricht (nextbike Maastricht)

  • Norway
  • Lillestrøm (Bysykkel)
  • Oslo (Oslo City Bike)

  • Poland
  • Białystok (BiKeR)
  • Gliwice (GliwickiRowerMiejski)
  • Grodzisk Mazowiecki (Grodziski Rower Miejski)
  • Katowice (CityByBike)
  • Konstancin Jeziorna (Konstanciński Rower Miejski)
  • Lódź (Łódzki Rower Publiczny)
  • Lublin (Lubelski Rower Miejski Lublin)
  • Michałowice (Rower Gminny)
  • Opole (nextbike Opole)
  • Poznan (Poznański Rower Miejski)
  • Radom (Radomski Rower Miejski)
  • Warszawa (VETURILO Stacje Sponsorskie)
  • Stalowa Wola (STALOWA WOLA MIASTO ROWEROW)
  • Świdnik (Lubelski Rower Miejski Świdnik)
  • Szczecin (Bike_s Szczecin)
  • Warszawa (Veturilo)
  • Wrocław (Wrocławski Rower Miejski)

  • Russia
  • Kazan (Veli'k)

  • Slovenia
  • Ljubljana (Bicikelj)

  • Spain
  • Barcelona (bicing)
  • Seville (SEVici)
  • Valencia (Valenbisi)
  • Zaragoza (Bizi Zaragoza)

  • Sweden
  • Gothenburg (Styr & Ställ)
  • Lund (Lundahoj)

  • Switzerland
  • Hergiswil (nextbike Hergiswil)
  • Luzern (nextbike Luzern)
  • Stans (nextbike Stans)
  • Stansstad (nextbike Stansstad)
  • Sursee (nextbike Sursee)

  • Turkey
  • Konya (nextbike Konya)
  • Seferihisar (Karbis)

  • Ukraine
  • Lviv (nexbike Lviv)

  • United Kingdom
  • Bath (nextbike Bath)
  • Belfast (Coca-Cola Zero Belfast Bikes)
  • Exeter (co bikes)
  • Glasgow (nextbike Glasgow)
  • London (Santander Cycles)
  • Milton Keynes (Santander Cycles MK)
  • Stirling (nextbike Stirling)
  • University of Warwick (UniCycles)

  • North America:
  • Canada
  • Hamilton (sobi Hamilton)
  • Montreal (BIXI)

  • USA
  • Atlanta (Relay)
  • Boise (Boise Greenbike)
  • Boston (Hubway)
  • Buffalo (REDDY bikeshare)
  • Charlottesville (UBike)
  • Chicago (Divvy)
  • Columbus, OH (CoGo Bike Share)
  • Hoboken (Hudson Bike Share)
  • Kent State University (Flashfleet)
  • Ketchum / Sun Valley (MR BIKE SHARE)
  • Long Beach (sobi LONG BEACH)
  • New York (citi bike)
  • Phoenix (GR:D)
  • Pittsburgh (Healthy Ride)
  • Portland (BIKETOWN)
  • San Francisco Bay Area (Ford GoBike)
  • San Ramon (BRiteBikes)
  • St. Paul (nICE RIDE Minnesota)
  • Topeka (Topeka Metro Bikes)
  • Washington (Capital Bikeshare)
  • West Palm Beach (SKYBIKE)
  • Tampa, St Petersburg and USF (coast)
  • Orlando (Juice)
  • Santa Monica (Breeze Bike Share)

  • Other: 
  • India 
  • Bhopal (Chartered Bike Bhopal)

  • Kuwait
  • Kuwait City (ByKy Kuwait)

  • Saudi Arabia
  • King Abdullah Economic City (I-Bike)

  • UAE
  • Dubai (Byky Dubai)
  • Al Ain (Byky Al Ain)
Mark Knapp
Mark Knapp

Over the last several years, Mark has been tasked as a writer, an editor, and a manager, interacting with published content from all angles. He is intimately familiar with the editorial process from the inception of an article idea, through the iterative process, past publishing, and down the road into performance analysis.