I love the idea of Hubway but a important part of it is having bikes in racks and ready to ride. The system is designed to “recycle” bikes because at peak times the flow all is in one direction.
The recycling is not happening. Of my 10 commutes this week( once going and once returning ) 50% of the time there were no bikes. The recycling is failing
has anyone else had this issue ?
Please share widely!
To make this work, so thanks. Additional field observation: at downtown crossing near Franklin Street at 2:30 on Thursday, 4/30, there were about 3/4 bikes parked and 1/4 spaces remaining.
They don’t need that feedback. The Hubway system knows exactly how many bikes are in each station every minute of the day. They even publish it openly, so you too can see the data.
They may need more vehicles and staff to rebalance the bikes, and they may well (they do!) need more stations and more bikes so that you’re less likely to find only empty stations nearby.
The 30 min time limit is nonsense. If I bike to work it’s about a 35 min ride, if I can go straight through. But if I take Hubway it becomes 45 min so I can go out of the way to switch out bikes, unless I want to pay the fee. The system would be a lot more useful with an hour time limit.
It’s $2 for being one minute late. Hubway calls this an “overtime fee.”
http://www.thehubway.com/pricing
Pricing is designed to discourage anything over 30 minutes. Many long rides would make the system impossible to run.
My read of the pricing in your link is that the fee is $2 extra for a 31-60 minute trip, $4 for the next half-hour, and $8 for each half-hour after that. For what it’s worth, Zipcar charges an extra hour even if you are 1 minute late.
So I think the answer to stomv’s question is $2.
The link also says that monthly and annual members get 25% off the “usage fees”. So it would be $1.50 if you’re a monthly member.
…can someone give a quick rundown of how this program works, or is supposed to? I’m having trouble following the discussion without this background. Thank you.
unlimited 30-minute trips. Longer trips are charged on an increasing-block rate.
Other options are available, but the services is for short hops within the system.
Many cities have bike-share programs on this model. Boston’s is considered a success. Tcook’s problem strikes me as a growing-pains issue. “It’s so crowded nobody goes there any more.”
The key to Hubway is that you check out a bike at one station and return it to any other station. One way short term borrow, with membership either by the day or annually.
Just like a library, you can’t check out a bike if it isn’t at the station. Unlike a library, you can’t return a bike if the station is full.
I have a love-hate relationship with Hubway, which I’ve been using for two years now. I have very short jaunts–Back Bay or South Station to New England Law, across the street from the Transit Bldg–but due my schedule, both day and night, and my train schedule–which only got back to “normal” the first week in APRIL–the few minutes it shaves off my race to either station can mean the difference between getting home two hours later. Additionally, I love the feeling of flying through the streets in the morning–a nice way to wake back up once I hit the city. When I have a few extra mnutes, I’ll do a detour through the Public Garden or something.
This year I haven’t had any problem, though I was annoyed that right after they went back online in Boston some of the racks I use were missing due the Marathon, which reminded me all over again why I don’t want the Olympics in town. Last Spring, though, I was ready not to renew. Lots of mornings there were no bikes available when I got in at either Back Bay (pitifully small rack for a ststaio that sees such traffic) or a block away at the BPL. FaR worse was getting to South Station and finsing that massive rack completely full (meaning a race over to Chinatown and the small rack there then a sprint to the station). That started becoming commonplace–as was the presence of faaar too many open slots that were not working for whatever reason.
The concept is terrific, and the bikes feel good–solid and well-maintained. I find the annual cost reasonable in terms of the tiem it saves me. But adding more bikes–and having more slots than bikes–is going to aboslutely necessary to mainatin loyalty and/or expand.
The Public Garden is a bicycle-free park. Please keep it that way. I ask you as a cyclist and cycling advocate.
I bike around them, but no way should a casual cyclist be messing with the speedway section of Charles St.
having a speedway in the middle of Boston is not such a grand idea and the road should be redesigned for all users.
I don’t think there is a major design issue. Perhaps there is a traffic enforcement issue or if it is really that bad a problem perhaps speed bumps could be added.
Any road that gets you to that section of Charles St. is a bit hairy for less confident cyclists too. A lot of cars more through that area. The safest way to funnel casual cyclists/families/tourists between Arlington and Tremont would be a well-marked mixed use path through the Gardens and Commons.