Less than two years ago, there was only one bike-share program in the Boston area, and that was Bluebikes.
Since then, thousands of station bikes and dockless e-bikes have made a home here. And not too long ago, the city allowed Lime and Bird to roll out a handful of their e-scooters on a trial basis.
As the law stands currently, electric scooters are illegal in Boston.
So, this is an important trial period for Bird and Lime. Having Lime and Bird scooter in Boston permanently would increase the number of micro-mobility options for residents.
And it could improve the way people get around.
Over the course of April 2019, two micro-mobility companies, Bird and Lime, brought their e-scooters to Brookline. This area is part of Greater Boston.
All in all, each company placed 100 e-scooters in Brookline on a trial basis which will last until November 2019.
Before this experiment, no other e-scooters were present in the state of Massachusetts.
So, if the trial period goes well, it’s likely more scooters will come to other Boston municipalities.
And in this case, the commuting habits among those living within and around Greater Boston will change.
Many residents and the Transportation Officials of Boston hope the Lime and Bird trial is a success. Because bird scooters in Boston would offer a reliable and sustainable transportation option for the Greater Boston Area.
Since 2011, the public bike-share company, Bluebikes, has supplied pedal bikes to riders in Metro Boston.
Since that time, the company grew and expanded to other areas within Boston.
Now, Bluebikes has more than 2,500 bicycles located at 260 stations in the areas of Boston, Cambridge, Brookline, and Somerville.
Besides the ease of accessibility to Bluebikes, these neighborhoods are also close to major attractions, restaurants, shops, recreational activities, and cultural events.
The company recently announced its plans to add nine stations and new bikes to the community of Everett.
And the expansion doesn’t stop there. Bluebikes wants to have 3,000 bikes at 300 stations in the Boston area by December 2019. With the large accessibility of Bluebikes, it’s not only a convenient and affordable way to move around town, but it’s also quite fun.
Lime bikes are dockless bike-shares found in 15 cities in the Greater Boston area. These towns include; Arlington, Everett, Malden, Watertown, Bedford, Chelsea, Lexington, Melrose, and several others.
Lime recently decided to phase out their pedal bikes to make room for their e-bikes. So, eventually, they’ll have approximately 1,500 e-bikes and zero pedal bikes in these regions.
Since 2018, Ant Bicycle has offered e-assist dockless bikes to people in the Cambridge, Massachusetts area.
Currently, they have about 1,000 bikes in this region.
Like other micro-mobility companies, you need to download the Ant Bicycle app to locate and ride their bikes.
When you unlock your bike, you can travel up to 15 miles per hour using the assist feature.
Boston is one of the rare cities in the United States where urban core residents truly can get around without a car.
Living in Boston literally orbits around the downtown core and transportation links follow in a similar form. Between a mix of shared transport including the T, carshares, and ridesharing services, Bostonians are privileged to have a number of transportation options at their fingertips.
The numbers from the 2014 census show that amongst workers in Boston, 33% took public transportation, 1.7% came and went daily by bike, and another 15.1% used their very own two feet!
The wide range of shared vehicles at hand is as diverse as a subscription plan (from pay per use to monthly passes).
When it comes to newly arrived residents in Boston, these methods of transport are ideal when avoiding a large initial investment in a car or a bicycle.
Likewise, through Blueground, tenants are afforded optimal flexibility and minimized initial sunk costs by renting furnished for a month, a year or longer. Tenants get to live in a safe and lively area while enjoying the comforts of a fully furnished and thoughtfully equipped apartment.
Above all, furniture, appliances, eyecatching decor, and sought-after building amenities are just the beginning.
Let’s not forget that all of the apartments are located close to local transportation hubs should you choose to take the T, the bus or an e-scooter!
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