elimather

Hubway

I just signed up for Hubway today, Boston’s bike sharing program sponsored by New Balance. They had a deal for annual membership at $50 instead of their standard $85, which I learned about during “Let’s Talk about Bikes” an event at the BSA Space. BSA Space is in the recently built LEED Certified 280 Congress St. the same building shared by Trade restaurant, (Amazing Cocktails) Boloco (Sweet touch screen ordering proces) and Fidelity. My buddy from BU just started working over at Fidelity and will one day be a CFO of a fortune 500 company. Not so for me. I am fascinated by collaborative consumption and sharing things rather than acquiring them. This is why I support Hubway.

After signing up for Hubway I took a survey and indicated that I get around by using my own car, by renting cars (I also belong to Zip Car), by using my own bike, by public transportation (I live by the Orange line and 39 bus), and by walking (with my dog). Furthermore, when answering the reason I signed up the only choice that fit was “to support the program.” I doubt I will use it much over the next year, but I can envision using Hubway in conjuction with the T, or even just as a way to get some exercise during the day. Each ride is free for the first 30 minutes, so I imagine going for a bike ride with a colleague just to clear our heads.

How do you use Hubway? How would you? Do you know of anyone who has used it in unconventional ways? Who else is writing about Hubway? Let me know!

4 Comments

  1. Andrew Schwartz

    Hubway serves me to eliminate many of the variables of MBTA headways. Station to station links are faster at street level on bicycle than buses, Green and Silver lines, and while not as fast as the heavy rail lines, one doesn’t have to wait 5 to 14 minutes for an off peak train to start enroute to one’s destination. Ever since getting my own bicycle, I’ve usually parked nearest the closest Hubway dock to home and transferred there, allowing me to go into work via one route and come home via another.

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    1. elimather

      Interesting Andrew, I hadn’t imagined biking to a hubway station in order to use their bikes. Is there always ample parking for personal bikes at all stations? Is it safe to leave them there? I must say the advantage is lost on me. I feel that I would be more free if I continued to ride my own bike, rather than be constrained by the Hubway System. I expect to use Hubway when I’m already downtown, having traveled by public transportation, and not with my own bike or car.

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      1. Andrew Schwartz

        To be more specific, I’ll tell you I work evenings at the airport. The blue line is more frequent during rush hour, but the silver line is more predictable at night, albeit slow. I can bike to GC or Aquarium at midday and come back via Seaport and avoid the slowest portion of the SL1.

        My strategy of transferring between bikes makes sense under certain conditions, but knowing the nature and condition of my own bike and the spaces where I frequently park, I feel safe about it. I would also say that between weight and time constraints, my Hubway rides offer a more intense workout, and my last 2-3 miles on my lighter bike serves as a cool down.

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    2. Ahlam

      We tried this here in Lexington, and it was a great success. Until the end of the seosan, when all the bikes had disappeared because someone who had “rented” a key, took it upon himself to kidnap all the bikes and hide them in his garage. LOL

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