Bike Share Planning Context
Newburyport, Plum Island, and the surrounding communities are ideal to travel and explore by bike. The Coastal Trails network provides a safe and attractive off-road spine connecting town centers and transportation nodes. Distances between key destinations are well within a comfortable cycling range for most people. And cycling through historic neighborhoods and natural preserves is an attraction in and of itself. A bike share system will allow visitors to experience our areaās resources and attractions in an intimate way not possible by car.
Community Benefits of Bike Share
A bike share system can provide a range of benefits to the City, its residents, and visitors. Affordable access to bikes for short-distance trips as an alternative to private vehicles reduces congestion, noise and air pollution, improving the quality of life for everyone.
Residents who donāt have the space to store a bike or the need to ride a bike regularly will be able to use the system for recreational rides on the rail trails or for trips to the beach. Residents can also rent bikes to access public transportation, whether the train to Boston or a MEVA bus. Having shared bikes available will broaden the range of options for getting around the city and help residents to control their local transportation costs.
A bike share system will also make the city more accessible for visitors. With a bike share system, visitors arriving in Newburyport by train can rent a bike and enjoy an easy ride downtown or a pleasant trip to Plum Island or Maudslay State Park. A family who comes by car can park and explore the city with its comfortable rail trails. And residents will have an easy way for visiting friends to join them on bicycle trips around the city and out to the beach.
Small Bike Share Systems
While large bike share systems are prevalent in most major US cities, there are also many examples of smaller systems.
Nearby, the town of Concord, MA has operated Minuteman Bike Share (see photo) for several years. In 2025 the Minuteman Bike Share system was expanded to the towns of Acton, Lincoln and Maynard, with seven stations and 42 bikes, including seven adaptive bikes.
Another small bike share system that we have looked at is SusqueCycle in Harrisburg, PA, with 60 pedal bikes. We have also learned from a couple of somewhat larger systems in the region: Portland Bikeshare in Portland, ME (150 pedal bikes + 50 e-bikes), and ValleyBike Share in the Pioneer Valley (350 e-bikes in 9 municipalities + UMass).
Pilot Program Design
In 2025, the first year of the pilot, the bike share program will have 25-30 pedal bikes (including 2 adaptive cycles for persons with disabilities) and 5-6 stations, which will be located at the MBTA Commuter Rail station, downtown Newburyport, and other locations along the Rail Trail.
In 2026 and 2027 the system is planned to grow to a total of 48 bikes and 9 stations. Locations for the additional stations have not been identified yet, but could include recreational destinations such as Plum Island and Maudslay State Park.
In addition to the fleet of conventional pedal bikes, the City has purchased two adaptive bikes for persons with disabilities. Incorporating adaptive cycles in the bike share pilot program will make the system more inclusive and accessible.
If successful locally, the system can expand to Salisbury or Amesbury, taking advantage of the off-road routes provided by the Coastal Trails network. This would enhance the usefulness of the system for both transportation and recreation, but will require support and buy-in from the respective communities.
Paying for the Pilot Program
Like other public transportation systems, from city streets to buses to commuter rail, a public bike share system does not typically pay for itself. User fees can pay for part of the operating cost, but the great majority of the cost must be financed by some combination of public funds and private sponsorships. The City Council has voted not to provide any financial support for the program, which must therefore depend on non-municipal funding sources. (The Council did approve a recommendation by the Newburyport Commission on Disabilities to purchase two adaptive bikes, which will be made available for inclusion in the bike share pilot program.)
Through its 2025-2029 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), the Merrimack Valley Metropolitan Transportation Organization has reserved $180,000 in federal funds to support the capital costs of a three-year pilot program (2025 through 2027). This represents about two-thirds of the estimated total cost of the three-year pilot.
The Coastal Trails Coalition, the Institution for Savings Charitable Foundation, the Mary Alice Arakelian Foundation, and the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation have pledged a combined total of $13,500 for the first year of the bike share pilot program.
User fees will pay for a small but important part of the program cost. For the first year, rentals will cost $3.00 per 30 minutes of use. The program will also offer a monthly membership option at $30 per month, which will provide 30 free minutes for each rental.
NLS is continuing to work with the City and Tandem Mobility to identify and secure grants, donations and sponsorships to fully fund the pilot program. Local businesses and organizations who would like to support this initiative can find information on sponsorship opportunities at this page.
Current Status
In December 2024 the City issued a Request for Proposals for a vendor to provide the bike share equipment and operate the program. After reviewing proposals and interviewing firms, the City selected Tandem Mobility to be the program operator. Tandem has extensive experience with smaller bike share programs like Newburyport’s: among other systems, Tandem operates the system in Portland, Maine, as well as Minuteman Bike Share in Concord and Acton.
NLS is continuing to work with Tandem and municipal and state officials to launch the Port Bikeshare program in summer 2025. Follow Port Bikeshare on Facebook to get updates about the program.
NLS Bikeshare Home Page: https://newburyportlivablestreets.org/bikeshare.
Newburyport Livable Streets 