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Boston using kiosks for new bike-share program
- Stephen Enfield
Bike Sharing has been gaining popularity over the past few years as a convenient and green transit option. Locations have popped up all over the country including New York City, San Francisco, D.C, Portland, Kansas City and Denver (just to name a few). New Balance Hubway, located in Boston, was added to the list on July 28, 2011 with 60 stations, 600 bicycles and an eye toward expanding into Boston neighborhoods and surrounding communities.
Hubway works something like Zipcar, the urban car-share system, but looks more like the familiar Smarte Carte luggage kiosks at airports. The kiosks are solar-powered, expandable, and movable, anchored by weights. The system operates nine months of the year, with kiosks removed in December, January and February. You can rent from a bike kiosk near your home or office and pedal to a lunch meeting, errand or shopping trip, or to visit friends and family.
New Balance Hubway utilizes convenient bike kiosks to make renting a breeze. Using a credit card, unlocking codes are provided to access Hubway bikes. Casual Members can choose from 24-hour or three-day options and may take as many rides as they would like during their membership (access the fleet 24 hours a day, seven days a week, three seasons a year). Yearly registered members receive an assigned Hubway key and simply need to insert their key into any bike dock with an available bike. All rides less than 30 minutes are always included. Additional fees apply to all rides of 30 minutes or more.
When a cyclist is done riding, he may return his bike to any Hubway station. To check in the bike, he pushes the front wheel firmly into an empty dock, waits for the green light signaling that the bike is properly secured, and swipes his credit cards at any Hubway station kiosk to obtain a new unlocking code when he's ready to ride again!
When used in combination with other transportation systems, a shared bike program offers flexibility and freedom for modern urban commutes. Add in the rising cost of gas and challenges of parking in the city, this is a service worth exploring.
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