Oslo Bysykkel

Oslo's city bike scheme launched in April 2019 with 292 stations spread across the inner city. Each dot on the map represents one docking station.

Background shows Oslo's sub-districts (delbydeler).

Station popularity

Not all stations are equally busy. Circle size now reflects total trip volume — the largest circles mark the true hubs of Oslo's bike network.

Hover over any station to see its name and total trip count.

2019 — Launch year

Oslo Bysykkel opened to great enthusiasm in April 2019. Over two million trips were recorded in the scheme's first season — a high-water mark that has not been matched since.

2020 — Pandemic year

COVID-19 lockdowns emptied city streets and ridership fell sharply. The decline from 2019 was the steepest single-year drop in the network's history.

2021 — Continued decline

Despite restrictions easing, ridership kept falling. Usage did not bounce back — it appears 2019 attracted a wave of curious first-time users who did not return.

2022 — Still sliding

A further drop despite a return to normalcy in Oslo. The data suggest a structural shift, not a temporary disruption.

2023 — Levelling off

Ridership stabilises around one million trips per year — roughly half the 2019 peak. This may represent the network's steady-state loyal user base.

2024 — Plateau

For the second year running, totals hold near 1.1 million. The decline appears to have bottomed out.

2025 — Partial year

Data through spring 2025 tracks the same seasonal pattern as recent years, with no sign of a recovery to 2019 levels.

A summer sport

Oslo's bike season is strikingly short. In 2019, nearly all trips happened between May and October. The January–March period is almost silent.

2020 — Lower peaks

The pandemic year's summer peak dropped to ~298k trips in June — well below 2019's ~399k August peak. The seasonal shape remains, but everything shifts down.

2021–2022 — Peaks keep falling

Even as lockdowns ended, summer peaks continued to shrink — 217k in 2021, then 207k in 2022. The network never recovered its 2019 heights.

All years compared

The shape of the curve is consistent across all years — a sharp spring ramp, a broad summer plateau, a rapid autumn decline. But each successive year's curve sits lower than the last.

2023–2025 — Settling at a lower level

Recent years cluster near 175–192k trips at peak, roughly half the 2019 maximum. The seasonal rhythm is unchanged — the audience has shrunk.

Top 5 stations

The five busiest stations are all neighbourhood hubs — lively squares and parks that attract both commuters and leisure riders.

Top 10 stations

The gap between rank 1 and rank 10 is already large. A power-law distribution is emerging — a handful of locations dominate total trip volume.

Top 20 stations

Even at 20 stations, the long tail of the distribution is clear. The top 20 stations (out of 292) account for a disproportionate share of all trips made in the system.

Average trip duration

Trip duration follows a clear seasonal rhythm. Summer trips average ~14 minutes, while winter trips drop to around 10 minutes.

Volume vs. duration

Adding trip counts reveals that volume and duration move together — both peak in summer, both drop in winter.

Winter riders are the few committed commuters taking quick trips. Summer brings recreational riders who stay out longer.

Summer months highlighted

The shaded bands mark June–August each year. Both trip volume and average duration are highest in this window — Oslo's summer cyclists ride more often and for longer.