Bluebikes in 2020
Read on to learn about how we used our public bike share
About Bluebikes
Bluebikes is public transportation by bike. The system is jointly owned and managed by Boston, Brookline, Cambridge, Everett, and Somerville, and operates in 10 municipalities in greater Boston. Together, we've taken more than 13 million trips by bike.
Our work is guided by a commitment to equity and service that is dependable, predictable, and convenient. Public ownership ensures our bike share will be available and affordable for years into the future. We are grateful to our title sponsor, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, for allowing us to invest in the system's growth and accessibility.
System growth since 2011
Bluebikes began in 2011 as Hubway, launching with just 60 stations in Boston. Today, Bluebikes includes nearly 400 stations and 4,000 bikes in 10 municipalities. We also track growth in the total number of trips taken by bike and how many people purchase annual or 30-day passes.
Click to the right arrows to see how the system has grown and changed over time.
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Bluebikes in 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic changed how people travel in Boston -- including how they use our bike share. We recognize the critical role of Bluebikes as a public transportation system during this difficult year.
Responding to the pandemic
As Massachusetts moved into lockdown to control COVID spread, we responded as nimbly as possible to support the region's residents and workers. We began regularly disinfecting bikes and the kiosks at busy stations. We offered guaranteed bikes and docks at our two stations: Charles Circle (serving MGH) and Longwood Avenue at Binney Street (serving the Longwood Medical Area).
On March 23 we announced free monthly Bluebikes passes for all hospital workers. Nearly 1,200 people participated from 26 hospitals. Participants in the program took nearly 20,000 trips, which clustered around the area’s major hospitals, an indication that Bluebikes provided essential transportation to work. The program ended on July 6, when the Commonwealth entered Phase III of the COVID reopening.
Charles Circle, serving MGH, was a the most popular station for hospital workers enrolled in our program.
Boston, Brookline, Cambridge, Everett, and Somerville won a grant to provide free passes for the many workers supporting our communities: employees of local grocery stores, pharmacies, retail shops, and restaurants. We are grateful for generous funding from the Better Bike Share Partnership .
On July 20, 2020, we began offering free 90-day passes to these workers. We advertised the program in many languages and in partnership with our municipal agencies working directly with local businesses.
In 2020, 570 workers were approved for the program. The program is still open, funded through municipal budgets. Details and application are available at boston.gov/bike-share
Ridership trends
Nothing was guaranteed in 2020. After record-high ridership in the first quarter of 2020, Bluebikes trips dropped sharply in April and May. By fall 2020, trips were up significantly. We even set a new record for total trips taken on a single day.
Trips patterns changed significantly, too. For the first time, weekend trips consistently surpassed weekday trips, suggesting Bluebikes has been an important recreational activity during the pandemic. We saw fewer trips within our major employment centers and near our colleges and universities. However, we saw major increases in trips in more residential areas and near bike paths. We also saw increases in "round-trip" rides: people started and ended their rides at the same station.
By scrolling below, you can review graphs showing the change in trips in 2020 and how it compares to 2019. You can use our interactive maps to understand trends at "your" station, in your neighborhood, and across the system.
Trips dropped quickly in late March. As the spring temperatures warmed and businesses began to reopen, riders gradually returned.
Trips peaked in the fall, with riders setting an all-time single day record of 14,403 trips on September 20th. The year ended with 2,068,178 total Bluebikes trips. While this was 18% lower than 2019, it was higher than any other previous year.
Move the slider to see how daily trips changed between 2019 and 2020. Note the change in weekend trips!
With many work places and universities closed, trips decreased at stations that typically experience heavy demand during peak commute times. In contrast, trips increased at stations near many of the region's off-street bike paths, such as the Neponset River Trail, Mystic River paths, the East Boston Greenway, and the South Boston/Dorchester Harborwalk.
In the map at left, stations in blue served more riders per day in 2020, as compared with 2019. Stations in red saw a decrease. Bigger circles indicate greater change.
Daily trips increased by more than 50% at 29 stations, concentrated in East Boston, Everett, Mattapan, and Dorchester.
Click on the interactive map for more details.
This map shows stations with a 50% or greater decrease in trips per day in 2020, as compared with 2019.
Click on the interactive map for more details.
Round-trip rides, which start and end at the same station, were much more common in 2020 than in previous years. Round-trips made up 8.1% of all trips, double the rate in 2019. This type of trip was concentrated in neighborhood locations near off-street bike paths. Round-trips are often taken as recreational rides.
This map shows round trips in 2020 as a share of each station's start trips. Larger circles indicate a bigger share of round trip rides.
Zoom in and click on individual stations for more detail.
Trips by neighborhood
We can go a level deeper to see where people started and ended their trips. Our bikes do not have GPS capability, and we do not track individual routes. However, our stations communicate when a bike is leaves ("origin" and when one is returned ("destination"). In 2020, riders took more than 40,000 unique origin-destination pairs of stations.
You can use the interactive map below to explore these pairs in detail. You can look at common trips to or from neighborhoods and municipalities.
Click on the buttons below to see the most common trips in specific neighborhoods and municipalities. You can click on stations and trip pairs to learn more.
For more information about Bluebikes, the metro Boston's public bike share, visit bluebikes.com
Bluebikes data is available to the public. You can download monthly trip data .
If you have questions about this page, please email bikeshare@boston.gov .
