Suburban Bike Share Reaches Across Town Borders

Bike share is not just for big cities anymore, and as these services move into new communities, they need to adjust to local needs. In the Boston suburbs, more and more suburban bike renters are now able to cross city borders on a bike. "By the end of the summer, people who live, work or visit 15 communities in Greater Boston will be able to rent bikes using a smart phone and ride them anywhere within those cities and towns," Jennifer Fenn Lefferts reports in the Boston Globe. These cities include Malden, Everett, Chelsea, Winthrop, and Arlington.

Allowing bike share to run across city lines is important in cities where a trip of a few blocks can mean crossing into another town, with its own laws and bureaucracies. By setting up a bike share joining several communities, cities make the asset more valuable for residents inside and out of their jurisdiction.