Hubway

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
New Balance Hubway
Background
Locale Boston, United States
Transit type Bicycle sharing system
Number of stations 126
Website TheHubway.com
Operation
Began operation July 28, 2011
Operator(s) Alta Bicycle Share
Number of vehicles about 1100 active [1]
Hubway bike visits New York

Hubway (officially New Balance Hubway) is a bicycle sharing system in Boston, Massachusetts, sponsored by New Balance and operated by Alta Bicycle Share using Bixi bikes and docking stations. The bike share program officially launched on July 28, 2011 with 61 stations and 600 bicycles. Expansions were already being planned for in the spring of 2012, adding more stations in Boston as well as the neighboring cities of Brookline, Cambridge, and Somerville.

History

On Earth Day, April 21, 2011, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino signed a contract with Alta Bicycle Share, officially announcing the launch of a bike share system in Boston. Planned as a regional system, Hubway was initiated under Mayor Menino's nationally recognized Boston Bikes Program, which aims to build Boston into one of the world's premiere cycling cities. The program was fully funded by $4.5 million in grants from the Federal Transit Administration and local organizations.[2]

Hubway officially launched on July 28, 2011, with an event in which members could ride bicycles from City Hall Plaza to a designated bicycle station. The event featured Mayor Menino, representatives from various sponsors, and related agencies.[3] In November 2011, Hubway was shutdown and disassembled for the winter as a preventative measure to counter New England winter weather.

On March 15, 2012, Hubway was relaunched for the season. In early August 2012, 17 new stations, including those in the planned expansion, were opened. Hubway now has over 100 stations throughout the Greater Boston area.

Membership and payments

Annual members are given an RFID key like the one pictured here.

Hubway offers annual, 3-day, and 24-hour memberships which allow access to the bicycle fleet for three seasons of the year. Like other bike sharing systems in areas that frequently experience snow and ice, Hubway suspends service and removes stations during the winter months.[4] An annual membership costs USD $85. A membership allows users to utilize a Hubway bicycle for 30 minutes at no cost after which a usage fee is incurred, though annual members receive a 25% fee discount.[5]

Stations

The system utilizes bicycles and docking stations designed and manufactured by Montreal-based Bixi. There are 65 stations in the Boston neighborhoods of Allston-Brighton, Fenway-Kenmore, Back Bay, South End, Beacon Hill, West End, North End, and the Financial District. The remaining 12 are scattered across the adjoining municipalities of Brookline, Cambridge and Somerville.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hubway.

References

  1. ↑
  2. ↑ "Mayor Menino Signs First-Ever Bike Share Contract Launching Hubway in Boston". City of Boston. Retrieved 31 December 2011. 
  3. ↑ "Hubway Bike-Sharing Program Gets Rolling". WBUR. 29 July 2011. Retrieved 31 December 2011. 
  4. ↑ "Frequently Asked Questions". Hubway. Retrieved 31 December 2011. 
  5. ↑ "Pricing". Hubway. Retrieved 31 December 2011. 

External links

Bixi Systems
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