New Balance Hubway
Encyclopedia
Hubway is a bicycle
sharing program in Boston
, Massachusetts
, sponsored by New Balance
and operated by Alta Bicycle Share. The bike share program was originally expected to be operated by Bixi
, but due to lack of funding Bixi lost its contract and a new contract was signed with Alta. The bike share program officially launched on July 28, 2011 with 41 stations, and expectation of expanding to 61 stations and 600 bicycles shortly, and then further expanding service to Brookline
, Cambridge
, Somerville
, and more of Boston.
, April 21, 2011, Mayor Thomas M. 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 City of Boston is working with MassDOT, MAPC, MBTA
and the FTA to expand the system into more Boston neighborhoods and surrounding communities. The program is fully funded by $4.5 million in grants from the Federal government
and local organizations.
On July 28, 2011, Hubway was officially launched with an event in which members could ride bicycles from City Hall Plaza
to a designated bicycle station. The event featured Mayor Thomas M. Menino
, representatives from various sponsors, and related agencies.
, Fenway-Kenmore
, Back Bay, South End, Beacon Hill, West End, North End, and downtown.
Bicycle
A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....
sharing program in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, sponsored by New Balance
New Balance
New Balance Athletic Shoe, Inc. , best known as simply New Balance, is a footwear manufacturer based in Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America. It was founded in 1906 as the New Balance Arch Support Company...
and operated by Alta Bicycle Share. The bike share program was originally expected to be operated by Bixi
BIXI
Bixi is a public bicycle sharing system developed by the Public Bike System Company , which itself was set up by the parking authority of Montréal to create a modular bicycle sharing system for Montréal....
, but due to lack of funding Bixi lost its contract and a new contract was signed with Alta. The bike share program officially launched on July 28, 2011 with 41 stations, and expectation of expanding to 61 stations and 600 bicycles shortly, and then further expanding service to Brookline
Brookline, Massachusetts
Brookline is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States, which borders on the cities of Boston and Newton. As of the 2010 census, the population of the town was 58,732.-Etymology:...
, Cambridge
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
, Somerville
Somerville, Massachusetts
Somerville is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, located just north of Boston. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 75,754 and was the most densely populated municipality in New England. It is also the 17th most densely populated incorporated place in...
, and more of Boston.
History
On Earth DayEarth Day
Earth Day is a day that is intended to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth's natural environment. The name and concept of Earth Day was allegedly pioneered by John McConnell in 1969 at a UNESCO Conference in San Francisco. The first Proclamation of Earth Day was by San Francisco, the...
, April 21, 2011, Mayor Thomas M. Menino
Thomas Menino
Thomas Michael "Tom" Menino is the mayor of Boston, Massachusetts, United States and the city's first Italian-American mayor...
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 City of Boston is working with MassDOT, MAPC, MBTA
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, often referred to as the MBTA or simply The T, is the public operator of most bus, subway, commuter rail and ferry systems in the greater Boston, Massachusetts, area. Officially a "body politic and corporate, and a political subdivision" of the...
and the FTA to expand the system into more Boston neighborhoods and surrounding communities. The program is fully funded by $4.5 million in grants from the Federal government
Federal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
and local organizations.
On July 28, 2011, Hubway was officially launched with an event in which members could ride bicycles from City Hall Plaza
City Hall Plaza (Boston)
City Hall Plaza in Boston, Massachusetts, is a large, open, unadorned public space in the Government Center area of the city. The architectural firm Kallmann McKinnell & Knowles designed the plaza in 1962 to accompany Boston's new City Hall. The multi-level, irregularly-shaped plaza consists of red...
to a designated bicycle station. The event featured Mayor Thomas M. Menino
Thomas Menino
Thomas Michael "Tom" Menino is the mayor of Boston, Massachusetts, United States and the city's first Italian-American mayor...
, representatives from various sponsors, and related agencies.
Membership and payments
Hubway offers annual, 3-day, and 24-hour memberships which allow access to the bicycle fleet for three seasons of the year (the system is shut down for the winter). A membership allows users to utilize a Hubway bicycle for 30 minutes at no cost, after which a fee is incurred and then charged on the 10th day of every month. The annual membership costs USD $85. The fee incurred after 30 minutes of continuous use is discounted 25% for members.Stations
At launch, there will be 61 stations in the Boston neighborhoods of Allston-BrightonAllston-Brighton
Allston-Brighton is a set of two interlocking Boston neighborhoods, Allston and Brighton.-Geographical and technical Issues:Allston and Brighton's border runs along Everett Street in the North, running south along Gordon Street and terminates at the Brookline town line along Kelton Street...
, Fenway-Kenmore
Fenway-Kenmore
Fenway–Kenmore is an official neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. While it is considered one neighborhood for administrative purposes, it is composed of numerous distinct sections and in casual conversation are almost always referred to as "Fenway," "Kenmore Square," or "Kenmore."...
, Back Bay, South End, Beacon Hill, West End, North End, and downtown.