Strap on those helmets! Mayor Dawn Zimmer took an inaugural first ride as part of Hoboken’s Hudson Bike Share program this past Friday, underneath the 14th Street Viaduct.
Seventeen stations and 120 bikes are active throughout the city with all 29 stations and 250 bikes coming online in the coming days and weeks. The program, which has been two and a half years in the making, will be operated by bike rental company Bike and Roll in partnership with NextBike, E3 Think and P3 Global Management.
Initially intended as collaboration between Hoboken, Weehawken, and Jersey City as a 50-station system, Hudson Bike Share will for now only place stations in the mile-square city. Riders should note that they can still leave their bikes at normal bike racks in certain no-fee zones in Weehawken and Jersey City without having to pay an additional fee.
Hoboken’s 29 stations have been mapped out so that every resident is within a three- to five minute walk of one.
“From the start we have been focused on creating an affordable bike share system that puts bike share stations in every neighborhood,” added Zimmer. “I am grateful to our founding sponsors whose generosity has made bike share in Hoboken possible and thank them for their incredible support.”
The launch comes off the heels of Hoboken’s partnership with Zipcar as the official car sharing operator on Sept. 17, which is another part of the city’s attempt to alleviate car congestion.
Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop dropped out of the three-tiered bike share partnership last year and instead joined New York City’s Citi Bike system. According to city spokesman Juan Melli, Weehawken did not raise the private funding needed to have its own stations.
Like Citi Bike, Hudson Bike Share was designed to run without public money, instead dependant on a combination of user fees, sponsorships, and ad revenue to cover the annual cost of nearly $500,000.
Cycling ahead
The Hoboken program stands apart from regional competitors like CitiBike through its German-engineered NextBikes, which come with a built-in GPS transmitter and traditional cable lock.
The program will operate on a membership basis, with commitments ranging from 24 hours to a year. Weekly passes cost $25 and offer unlimited 30-minute trips, and members are entitled to unlimited 45-minute rides with additional fees for rides that last longer. If a user needs a bike when their 45 minutes are up, they can lock it up and immediately take another bike at a station.
The news of Hoboken’s bike share program comes two weeks after Jersey City cut a ribbon commemorating the launch of their partnership with Citi Bike, placing 350 bikes at 35 stations throughout that city. Zimmer said at the press conference on Friday that she has met with Jersey City Mayor Fulop to discuss how they can make it easier for residents who commute to New York to use their respective programs in the future.
City officials boasted that the Hoboken system is cheaper on a per bike basis and has cheaper annual fees.
Hudson Bike Share charges $95 per year and daily/weekly memberships are $9.95 and $25 respectively. The Citi Bike program charges an annual fee of $149.
As of Sunday, Oct. 11, residents can take advantage of an early bird discount of $75 annual membership rate.
Plan to ride?
Paul A., a Hoboken resident for the past six years and frequent bike rider, was walking along Washington Street on Wednesday, Oct. 7 when he spotted one of the first bike share stations in Hoboken across from City Hall near First Street.
“I’ll probably try it once to take a joy ride,” he joked. “But I like using my own bike.”
Paul works in Manhattan, but said he wouldn’t take the bike to the city even if he could. Limiting the ride to 45 minutes would just risk incurring additional fees, he said: “I’ll just stick to the PATH.”
Other critics have complained that the system does not link with New York’s Citi Bike stations.
Pedaling forward
Chris Wogas, the chief executive of Bike and Roll, said they may be able to provide no-fee zones in more spots someday, including in Manhattan.
During the initial launch of the program, Zimmer invited Jersey City to put Citi Bike stations in southern Hoboken after the renovation of Observer Highway is complete.
The bike share program’s six founding sponsors are CarePoint Health, Suez North America, Bijou Properties, Zipcar, Investors Bank, and Keller Williams City Life Realty.
Steven Rodas can be reached at srodas@hudsonreporter.com.