Nationwide, more urban residents are pedaling around town – cutting carbon emissions and getting a great workout! It’s thanks to bike sharing programs like Boston’s “Hubway”, which includes more than 130 self-service stations around the city where users can pick up and return bicycles.

Nicole Freedman, director of Boston’s bicycle programs, says the Hubway has widespread appeal.

Freedman: “I think there’s a lot of misconceptions that bike share helps to prove wrong. Bike share is really not about the quote male cyclist hipster, twenty to thirty-five.”

Freedman says Hubway users range from professionals to tourists. There’s also a subsidized membership option for low-income residents.

As a result, about 6,500 bike-share trips are taken each day in Boston – many replacing car rides – so the Hubway has already offset about 500 tons of carbon emissions. The Hubway also keeps sustainability top of mind and is symbolic of a greener Boston.

Freedman: “People know Boston for the Red Sox. They know it for Faneuil Hall, and in Boston people love Hubway and they love the bike share, and it’s really become a new institution.”

Reporting credit: ChavoBart Digital Media.

More Resources
Hubway.com website
Streetsblog.org website
The bike-sharing blogspot
Bikesharingworld.com website