By Lorenzo Recupero
During this time last summer it was LimeBikes that had turned the city green. Stacked on almost every corner and rolling down every street was a LimeBike. This time around, BlueBikes are the new wheels on the block.
BlueBikes, a public bike share program offered through a collaboration between Hubway and Blue Cross Blue Shield, is the trendy new way to get around town on two wheels. The Blue colored bikes are located in over 200 docking stations in Boston, Brookline, Cambridge, Somerville and of course now here in Everett.
You may have noticed some of those newly- placed grey colored docking stations around the city, including multiple on Main Street, Ferry Street and Broadway. There is also a single location on Norman street.
Each location features a kiosk that offers different pass options. Riders can pay $2.50 for a single trip pass that last half hour of use or the explorer pass for $10 that offers unlimited two hour rides over a 24-hour period. Each additional half hour cost an extra $2.50.
Real bicycling enthusiast can get an annual pass for $99 dollars, which buys unlimited 45-minute rides seven days a week.
Interested parties can make payment directly at the kiosks to retrieve a bicycle, while the program also offers discounted rates to riders that sign up for a membership online or through the program app.
And though BlueBikes have made their way into the city, LImeBikes are still around, and mainly because the two bike-sharing programs offer users different ways to rent, ride and return the bicycles.
LimeBikes offer a less expensive trip, with a single ride costing $1 for each half hour. The program recently Introduced a battery-powered, pedal-assist electric bike that cost $1 to start and 15 cents per minute after.
Unlike BlueBike, LimeBike offers the rider the flexibility to leave the bike wherever the ride ends. When renting a BlueBike, they must be returned to one of the docking stations in a city supporting the program.
Whether you’re deciding to go blue or green, electric or manual, the city is covered in bicycles just waiting for you to take the wheels.