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    1 City Hall Sq

    Boston, MA 02109

    Downtown

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    • Photo of Damien S.
      4994
      2090
      5486
      Jun 4, 2013

      When the only weaknesses of a service are an under-developed infrastructure and the potential ignorance of users who believe they're beyond the application of standard terms and conditions, well sir, you've got a pretty stellar thing going.

      The Hubway, for the uninitiated, is a network of community bikes meant to be a feel-good alternative to public transit. It is not, I repeat NOT, a bike rental for a day of joy riding. Just as you wouldn't hop in a cab and take it around for grocery shopping, dinner and to catch a flick, you should not consider Hubway for long-term use. It's plastered on every bike, at every station and contained in your rental agreement. Complaining to the contrary is just silly.

      In fact, the key to its success is the short-term nature of use: 30-minute rides mean a constant flux in inventory, which means greater availability to all. The current price structure is $6 for a day-tripper, $12 for a three-day run (oh hey, long weekend), $20 for a monthly pass and $85 for a full year. All of these memberships have the same terms: unlimited 30-minute cycles, with an up-charge for times beyond. Be mindful of this. Find stations and refresh the 30 minutes often (pop your bike in, get a new code and take it out again).

      If a station is full, you can easily request a Time Credit from the terminal and get 15 minutes to find another station. Purty smart. Also, using a tracking app like Spotcycle or Biximo to plan your course and know what's full - luckily, there's usually another setup nearby.

      Some stations build up bikes; others are seemingly always naked. I'd hope this is being evaluated as they expand. And of course, as the number of stations tally up, Hubway only gets more effective. It'd be nice to see some sort of timing function (a stamp on your paper code, perhaps), so you're not relying on your iPhone for those returns at the wire. Finally, a printed confirmation for a bike return? I know the green light flicks on, but if there's ever discrepancy, there's no real record for the user.

      The wheels themselves are durable, functional 3-speeds that ride purposefully casually (read: slow). It's really an amazing service, and in three(?) years, has made a tremendous impact to the local commuting scene. Even as a bike owner, I'll be using Hubway often.

      Helpful 6
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    • Photo of Evan W.
      Evan W.
      Needham, MA
      1
      1
      Aug 10, 2016

      I definitely will not be using Hubway again. I appreciate the concept of bike sharing and thought this would be an easy way to enjoy a bike ride with some friends, but apparently missed the idea of a "short ride."

      If you don't do fairly extensive research on this bicycle sharing service you will get hit with many fees. First, be aware that they will take out a security deposit. I rented two bikes for 24 hours and the next day found $203 taken out of my account by Hubway. I did some research from articles and reviews and found out that's a security deposit. It's been three business days and five total days since I rented these bikes and I still don't have that money back yet, even though when I called yesterday they said they had released that hold. Then I noticed I had two separate charges of $54 taken out from Hubway. This is because I wasn't aware of the 30 minute ride limit. Again, after doing research I now understand their pricing model, but if you're looking for a quick option, you might not be aware of the concept of bringing the bike back every 30 minutes.

      I can see the benefit of a service like this, but I really feel that they need to make these fees easier to find, as of right now it's cost me around $322 in total to rent two bikes for a 24 hour period and return them within about two hours. Nowhere on my receipt do I see any indication of these fees, it didn't remind me of consenting to these fees when I entered my credit card information. I understand that had I looked more throughly, I would have been made aware of some of them, but that's kind of the problem.

      My suggestion, go on Craigslist and buy a cheap bike.

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    • Photo of Sergio F.
      Sergio F.
      Cape Coral, FL
      16
      14
      3
      May 22, 2016

      Horrible service and customer service.
      I unfortunately bought a yearly membership, used it for the first time yesterday, and returned a bike with 20 minutes after I picked it up. Today I got an email stating I used the bike for 20 hours and was charged for such. After I called customer service they stated they will investigate and if they can confirm any malfunctions at the station they will refund me after 5 business days.
      What a joke!
      Does New Balance know their name is being related to such bad business?

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    • Photo of KeepItReal P.
      KeepItReal P.
      Boston, MA
      6
      20
      26
      Jun 8, 2016

      Broken system with no support.


      CONS

      App was telling me there was 14 docs available and 1 bike

      False-there was no docs available and a bunch of bikes. The whole system was down yet the app did not state that nor did they reset the app to the current situation after I called them.

      Inconveniencing everyone who went there. I checked a few hours later and the app still said the same thing.

      Tell me again what is the app for?

      Got another bike at another location, time to drop it off.

      App said 4 docs available and 15 minutes later theres only 2 docs and they are both out of service.

      Customer service tells me its my problem without any consideration that i had to punch in to my job. The said I had to bring it to another location a few blocks away. Mind you my phone is going to shut down on low battery and I have no idea where this other location is.

      Since they have your credit card they can charge you, if the bike goes missing and if you leave it undocked so of course they don't care and say there is nothing they can do. They said we can't send anyone out to help just because of me.

      Failing to realize this is their fault because of an app that does not work correctly.

      Failing to let us know there are broken docs. or that a system is down.

      Failing to realize we have places to be.

      Failing to understand that phones die.

      Failing to understand that people work.

      Failing to provide service when needed.

      I'm done with the HUB. Don't trust it.

      Oh yea yesterday they said that I didn't dock your bike when I did and sent an email saying I am responsible if the bike goes missing or anything of that matter and will be charges $1,000. Someone took the bike, but thank GOD they returned it although they still charged me $5.00. They freely take money out of your account once again failing to accept they are the problem.

      NO GOOD DOCS.

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    • Photo of Daniel B.
      Daniel B.
      Cambridge, MA
      0
      6
      3
      Aug 3, 2011

      So far so good. Despite living in Cambridge and not having any stations the $60 introductory annual rate and a free helmet tempted me into becoming an early adopter. I'm not a bike rider and my previous attempts at starting have not been pretty but these bikes were extremely easy for me to pick up and ride.

      The system works great. Occasionally you'll run into a bike that it won't let you take (probably because someone hit the broken bike button) but all you do is just try another and it will usually give it to you.

      Other people have complained about being timed out for 5 minutes after returning a bike. This does happen but only for the original bike you took out. My suggestion is to just grab a different bike.

      My only complaint is that some of the stations aren't marked accurately on the maps however Hubway was quick to fix the ones I pointed out to them so kudos to them for listening.

      Can't wait until they come to Cambridge either this fall or next spring.

      A Hubway key.
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    • Photo of Mike S.
      Mike S.
      Ventura County, CA
      28
      172
      27
      Jun 25, 2015

      Take $101 and customer service not knowing how long till it (the deposit) is returned, customer service at 2:00 sounds like they have slobber between their lip and pillow.

      Great concept ruined by a shitty customer service experience. Pull your name off these bikes New Balance and quit extorting money. K-Mart needs to be on these because this sucks.

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    • Photo of Hitashi D.
      Hitashi D.
      Boston, MA
      0
      81
      21
      Oct 7, 2015

      Lots of problems with the docking stations. First one had a single bike left, yet the station says there aren't any. This is after the online map shows that there were seven (7) there! So I had to walk 4 blocks to the next closest station.
      Then when I tried to dock at Boylston & Berkeley, the dock would lock but not register the bike. The light was red, but it was locked hard and impossible to remove bike. Had to call Hubway, who eventually diagnosed the dock had a syncing problem.

      Lastly, the bikes are super heavy and really need maintenance. Combined with grinding gears, rough pedaling, lots of friction & lack of gears, biking on anything short of flat or downhill is taxing.
      Oh yea, some of the bikes have worn brakes, so be careful. Almost died yesterday because the brakes didn't work and nearly went right into traffic.

      Sturdy bikes are good. But for them to weigh more than my old mountain-bike, that's ridiculous. Not suitable for road biking.

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    • Photo of Max S.
      Max S.
      Nacogdoches, TX
      4
      133
      18
      Aug 9, 2015

      Stayed at a Back Bay hotel between Fenway and the Harbor area and used the Hubway to get around. Had a couple close calls with cars making right turns while I was crossing intersections. Bike experience and confidence is helpful. The good news is that there are so many bikes on the street that they have become part of the driving landscape and car drivers are less likely to not see you.

      The price is cheap, bikes were well maintained and there were bike stations everywhere I wanted to go. Will definitely use Hubway next time I'm in Boston.

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    • Photo of Ricky M.
      Ricky M.
      New York, NY
      18
      136
      46
      Jul 28, 2011
      First to Review

      I love the idea of a bicycle sharing program in Boston but I must admit that it has left room for improvement.

      It's not cheap. You must pay to be a member ($85/year, $12/3days, $5/day), then you must pay for rides longer than 30 min. When you return a bike, you have to wait just under two minutes to check another out again (whether its the same bike or another bike), making it slightly inconvenient to station hop for 'free' rides. The fee scale increases sharply for rides over the 30 min mark - an hour costs $2, two hours is $20, and a full day is $100. For comparison, most bike shops rent bicycles for $30/day. For the price of a year membership you could buy a cheap bike at Target or a decent bike off Craigslist. If a Hubway bike is not returned in a day your credit card gets charged $1,000. Ive encountered a few people having difficulty buying a membership with a credit card, and one kiosk with a frozen screen.

      Priced as such, its clear that the system is designed for quick trips - commuting or running errands instead of recreation or sightseeing. Unfortunately, less stations were installed than planned (there are about 45 as of 8/13/11), and they are not well-placed. There are clusters of stations instead of an even spread across the city. The residential section of the Back Bay is completely left out, as is Beacon Hill, most of the North End, and a huge piece of the South End. I believe they were placed based on where they could find sponsors, not out of convenience. They have plans to expand into Cambridge and Somerville in the future. There's a cool app that tells you where the stations are, and how many bikes are available at each one (in real time, but I get a lot of 'server errors'). I have already run into docks completely out of bikes when I've needed one, and docks completely filled when I've needed to return one. In the latter case it can give you 15 extra minutes to find another, but its a big inconvenience. Hopefully they will be better at redistributing the bikes or place more stations.

      The bikes themselves are utilitarian, durable and very slow. Most noticeably there is no top tube, making getting on and off easy. They have an internal 3-speed rear hub controlled by a grip-shifter. The brakes, controlled by normal brake levers, are built into the hubs. The wide, hard, and slippery seat is easily raised or lowered, and cannot be completely pulled out of the frame. A generator in the front hub powers a built in white headlight and red taillights. Parts are secured to the frame with specialty bolts. There is a pseudo basket (no sides) in the front with a bungee - I'm not sure why it isn't a real basket. When a bicycle breaks you place it in a dock and press a repair button, which will prevent it from being checked out again. It would be nice if the bikes had an indicator for how long they have been checked out for, instead of having to racing an invisible clock to get to the next station in under 30 min. I think my biggest complaint is how low the bikes are geared, making it impossible to go fast on flat ground. I'm not about to count chainring teeth but at about 10mph in 3rd gear my pedals are spinning too quickly to keep up with. I'm sure this is a safety feature.

      Locking the bikes is actually a bit difficult; it takes a some skill to get the mechanism to properly engage the bike on the first try. A guy next to me heard the noise and walked away assuming his had locked. Luckily I noticed the tiny light flash red and re-locked it for him. I think there needs to be more of a warning when lock failed. I foresee a lot of good people getting charged 1k for a bike they thought they had returned. *Update, I have heard stories of people getting large charges after they had taken a sub-30 minute trip. At least the next guy who took it out didn't keep it! Always triple check to make sure it was returned properly, the locks are far from perfect.

      Within minutes of returning a bike to a station, I saw a teenager try to yank it out of the dock. He gave up pretty quickly. I'm sure drunk college kids, especially tool-wielding MechEs, will give the system a better test. Already I've encountered a few bikes with broken bells, out of true wheels, and one with a broken fender. I've also encountered two broken dock mechanisms. I hope these were lemons and the system wont fall apart this quickly.

      Helmets are required by the terms of the Hubway, and are sold for $8 at vendors across Boston (shown on the station map). Out of all the Hubway riders I've seen so far, I've seen one, only one, person wearing a helmets. It's also apparent that the police are not ticketing riders for violations - plenty of running red lights, sidewalk riding, and lack of signaling. This was expected.

      I really hope this program will expand next season. Until then, its very limited in its practicality. Please keep in mind that the program is still new; I'll try to keep this updated.

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    • Photo of Thomas M.
      Thomas M.
      Boston, MA
      24
      10
      Aug 2, 2011

      I work in Cambridge, live downtown, and I just started commuting with the New Balance Hubway bikes.

      - a one-way, 4.3 mile ride takes me 23 minutes
      - checking a bike out/returning one takes less than a minute
      - roundtrip commute burns ~500 calories
      - add a few calories because I seem to smile non-stop riding these wonderful bikes along the Esplanade
      - thats about 3.29 pounds a month!

      Helpful 5
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