Hubway bike sharing station in Boston

Hubway is a bicycle sharing system in the metro Boston area sponsored by New Balance. Members pay $85 a year to be able to use a bike for up to 30 minutes, checking it back into the same or another docking station conveniently located around town, at MTA stations, markets, squares, etc. For longer time, members pay additional fees. Non-members can buy access passes.

The Boston-based program began in 2011 with 600 bikes and 60 stations. Within months, 100,000 rides had been logged, and 3,600 annual memberships were sold. Now there are an additional 1,000 bikes and an additional 108 stations. There’s one right outside of EcoMotion’s Cambridge office at the Cambridge Innovation Center.

The bikes accommodate most people with adjustable seats, they have step-through frames, internal hub gears, chain guards, and fenders to keep riders clean. Users are required to wear helmets, the bikes have front and rear flashing LED lights. The system uses solar-powered stations with kiosks to buy access passes and add time credit. Bikes not returned within 24 hours are assumed stolen, and users assessed a $1,000 fee. Right now Hubway is closed for the season, bikes and “stations” removed from the streets altogether.