Cycling in Boston

Cycling in Boston has been a popular activity since the late 19th century for both recreation and commuting, and it has grown in popularity in recent years, aided by improving cycling infrastructure. It is especially prevalent around the campuses of the numerous universities in the city.

Different areas in Boston have varying degrees of bike friendliness.^[1]

History

Boston in 1897

At the end of the 19th century, cycling was especially popular in Boston, and Outing Magazine at the time described Boston as "the bicycling paradise of America".^[2] The city's cyclists were pivotal in the formation of the national organization League of American Wheelmen, and Massachusetts had the largest per capita membership in the league in the 1890s and the largest percentage of women members.^[3]

Bike sharing

Blubikes at a station in Boston

Bluebikes (named Hubway until 2018) launched as the city's bicycle sharing system on July 28, 2011 with 610 bicycles and 60 stations in the City of Boston.^[4] The system expanded to Brookline, Cambridge, and Somerville the following year. In subsequent years, docks were introduced in Arlington, Chelsea, Everett, Malden, Medford, Newton, Revere, Salem, and Watertown.^[5] By the end of 2024, Bluebikes had deployed 5,500 bikes and 520 stations.^[6] PBSC Urban Solutions, a company based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, supplied bikes and docking stations.^[7]

The system is operated by Motivate. In 2024, it had more than 29,000 annual members, with over 4.7 million trips system-wide.^[6]

From May 9, 2018, the system was rebranded as Bluebikes following a marketing deal with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts.^[8]