1. Harvard Transportation Case Study:
“Developing a Regional Bike Sharing Program”
Meeting of the Minds VIII
The University of Rochester
July 15th, 2011
Presented by:
John W. Nolan MS, CAPP
Directors of Transportation Services
Harvard University

2. Today’s Outline
 Bike program
 Bike program goals
 Bike system Infrastructure
 How to use the bike system
 Importance of roadway infrastructure
 Relationship to sustainability
 Regional operational and financial models

3. So What is Bike sharing?
 It’s part of a greater policy effort to expand
efficient transportation choices.
 The program aims to reduce intra campus and
city car travel, carbon emissions and
greenhouse gases while promoting active
transportation, and providing an additional
link to the public and private transit systems.
 “Hubway” hopes to bring cycling into the
mainstream by making bike use highly visible
in the urban core, affordable, and
conveniently accessible.

4. The Bike Sharing Program Also…
 Brings cycling into the transit mainstream by making
bike use a highly visible transportation mode in the
urban core
 Introduces a low priced mode of Public Transportation
 After the cost of an initial permit allows people to move
around the City FREE of charge (30 min)

5. Bike System Goals
 Grow to 400 stations and 5000 bicycles in
Boston and neighboring municipalities.
 The second phase of system expansion will occur
throughout 2011 and spring 2012 when
Cambridge, Somerville, and Brookline expand
their bike share network.
 Additional communities including Winthrop,
Newton, and Arlington to date, have shown
serious interest in participating in the program.

6. Bike Station Features
 Platform “Drop and Go”
platform for portability.
No construction or
excavation needed.
Aluminum. Corrosion and
rust resistant.
Real-time reporting of
breakdowns.
 Terminal 12 gauge satin
coat rolled steel for rust
protection.
Interior is 14 & 15 gauge
satin coat rolled steel.

7. Station Components
Solar Power
Panel – Map/Ads
Transaction Station
Standard Bike Rack - 15 slots
-10 bikes
Platform-Mobile & Modular

8. Program Overview
Convenient Stations every quarter mile
Access bikes with swipe of card
Return bike at any kiosk
Inexpensive Thirty minutes free
Mainstream Users are residents, workers, tourists, and students
Designed for everyday trips in any clothing, even skirts and suits

9. About the Stations
The Stations:
 Are fully mobile, modular, and solar powered.
 Easy to install by mobile transit teams
 Can increase or decrease in size based on demand and
removal takes less than one hour.
 The system will be operated throughout 9 months of the year
(March-November).

10. Alternative Layouts
Standard Two Sided “L – Shaped

11. On Street Installation

12. More About The Bikes
 The bikes use non-standard parts and tools to
deter theft.
 Incorporate pedal powered lighting systems for
safety.
 Have reinforced frames to hold up to vandals.
 Are fully rust-resistant.
 In addition, the design of the bikes favors every
day trips in any clothing including suits and
skirts.

13. Bike Durability
•Reinforced aluminum
•Theft-proof seat
•Puncture-proof tires
•Heavy-duty rims
•Chain protector

14. Anti-Theft Components
Anti-tamper components / Durable aluminum alloy
Anti-theft locking mechanism / Non-standard tools required

15. “Off Street” Application

16. Paris France-Velib

17. How To Use The System
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nCtbU7Svs0

18. First Year Implementation Goal
 85 stations
 1,000 bikes
 2,319 daily bike trips
 11,225 annual subscribers
 31,800 annual occasional users
 635,095 annual bike trips
 1,905,300 million miles ridden annually

19. Building the Roadway Infrastructure
 Built 38 miles
of new bike
lanes over the
last 4 years
 Added cycle
tracks in a
number of
neighborhood
street sections
allowed

20. Harvard’s Participation
 Sponsoring nine (9) bike stations
 Initial focus in Boston on the Allston and
Longwood Campuses
 Part of our commitment to Sustainability
 Adds another alternative commuting choice
 Provides an additional link to other
modalities including Public Transportation

21. A Sustainable Practice
Cycling is a wonderful way to combine three things:
Fitness--Recreation--Transportation
The mission of a bike share program is to encourage a
cultural shift for people toward increased
participation in non-carbon modes of transportation.
Hubway will provide those who do not own bicycles
with the opportunity to explore the region, connect
with the outdoors, and see how beneficial a bike can
be while rediscovering the fun of bike-riding.

22. Carbon Footprint Calculation
Line Title Notes System Wide
1 Annual Trips Taken from Alta's proposal 330,500
2 Average Miles per Trip Source: Paris Velia system research 2
3 Total Annual Miles Biked Line 1*Line 2 661,000
4 % Bike Trips that replace Source: DC Hubway (pilot system) survey 25%
Car Trips
5 Annual Vehicle Miles Line 3* Line 4 165,250
Eliminated (VME)
6 VME per 3 year sponsor Line 5 * 3 495,750
term
7 Average VME per station Line 6/61 stations 8,127
per 3 year sponsor term
8 Estimated VME per station Line 7*2 students / 1 average user; Source: 16,254
at Harvard, for 3 year term Alta's proposal estimates 2% of student
population will become Hubway members,
compared with 1% of regular population.
9 Total TONS GHG Line 8 * 1 ton/1,120 VME (average US car 29
eliminated per station, efficiency) * 2/1 GHG conversion factor
per sponsor term. for short trips less than 2 miles due to
vehicle inefficiency on short trips

23. Road Infrastructure

24. North Harvard Street-Boston

25. Protected Bike and Pedestrian Lane NYC

28. Cycle Tracks

29. Cycle Track System Concerns:
There are safety issues at road crossings with vehicles
turning right and with driveways and cars backing out
but these issues have solutions, as tested in Europe.
Below are two examples of intersection treatments in
Europe And we are only asking that some models be tried
in the U.S.

30. Cycling Infrastructure

31. Metropolitan Area Planning Council
Outline
To participate in the bike share program each municipality must:
 Provide funds to both purchase the system as well as provide funds for
operations.
 Encouraged to provide the user with advertising revenue to help cover
the cost of operations.
 The municipality must be able to financially guarantee the operations
through the third year from the system launch.
 The equipment will be owned (per FTA requirements) by the City of
Boston and the other respective municipalities that participate.

32. Metropolitan Area Planning Council
Outline
 A contract may be set up with the vendor such that the system
may be owned by the municipality up front or at the
conclusion of the contract.
 Each Municipality is highly encouraged to seek corporate,
institutional, grant, or other private or public funding
sources to sponsor stations and grow the system.
 The City of Boston has fundraised to date $1.2 million in
corporate sponsorships, plus almost $1million in federal and
state funds.
 The bike share program has secured an additional $3 million
grant from the Federal Transit Administration that is
available to the municipalities to access.

33. License Agreement
 Terms and fees
 Insurance and indemnification
 Site preparation
 Installation and removal
 Maintenance and site modification
 Surrender assignment and disputes
 Use of Name
 Signage

34. Financial Cost Model
 Per Station Expenses and Revenue (10 bikes, 15-19 docks)
 Expenses
 Equipment Costs (Stations & Bikes) $43,650
 Launch fee $14,869
 Subtotal Launch Cost (Equipment plus Launch fee) $58,519
 3 year Operations costs to municipality $38,517
 Per year Operations costs to municipality $12,839
 Subtotal 3 Year Cost (Equipment, Launch & 3 yrs ops) $97,036
 FTA funding available - applies to launch & equip only ($29,538)
 TOTAL Cost to City (3 years, non-federal source) $67,498
 Revenue
 3 Year Revenue from Ridership $41,885
 Per Year Revenue from Ridership $13,962
 Per Year Revenue to City (50% of net revenue) $1,527
 3 Year Revenue to City (50% of net revenue) $4,582

35. Cost to Harvard
Boston Model
 The cost of sponsorship is $50,000 per station
for 3 years and includes equipment, start-up &
operating expenses. The City of Boston has
offered the following financing plan:
 $15,000 FY11
 $15,000 FY12
 $20,000 FY13

36. Cost to Harvard
Cambridge Model
 The cost of sponsorship is $50,000 per station for 3 years paid up front
 Harvard’s Office for Sustainability have agreed to allow the utilization
of its Green Campus Loan Fund to finance the sponsorship fee of
$50,000 for the 4 stations in Cambridge, or a total funding of $200,000.
 $17, 667 per year, including an annual 3% administrative fee.
 Potential sponsors will complete the loan fund application
 The total amount of $200,000 for the 4 stations will be guaranteed by
Transportation Services which will take the lead in identifying and
marketing the Program to potential University sponsors with the
assistance of OFS and other Campus Services units as needed.

37. Mayor Thomas M. Menino
“Over the past four years we have taken great strides toward
making Boston a city that welcomes and encourages bicycling, but
this innovative bike share system may be the most significant step
yet, …we have worked tirelessly to build the infrastructure
necessary to support such a system and we are confident that
there is no better time to make “Hubway” a reality. I want to
thank Harvard University for its tremendous support of this
endeavor.”

38. The New “Hubway”

39. QUESTIONS??