Late last week, the City of Hoboken announced its plan to partner with E3Think, Bike And Roll and Social Bicycles (SoBi) to launch the nation’s first hybrid bike rental and bike share program.

The program will be comprised of traditional bike rentals, but will also include a 6-month pilot bike-sharing program. The bike rentals and bike sharing will be geared towards residents and visitors for both commuting and recreational purposes.  Users will be able to reserve bikes online and through their mobile phones, and unlike the vast majority of bike share systems throughout the world which rely on a “Smart-Dock” approach to storing bicycles, Hoboken will be piloting a “Smart-Lock” approach. The City hopes that this approach will lower costs and allow for further expansion of the system.

During the pilot, the City and its bike share partners, will also collect data and seek sponsorship opportunities to aid in the planning and creation of a broader, city-wide bike share program.

The recent announcement once again highlights Hoboken’s leadership in promoting more sustainable transportation options, not only in New Jersey, but nationwide. In just the past few years:

• Hoboken received honorable mention as a bike friendly community by the League of American Bicyclists in 2010.
• Hoboken was named by Forbes as America’s Top Transportation City in 2011.
• In August 2011, Hoboken passed an ordinance whereby 80% of the streets will be bike friendly.
• In November 2011, Hoboken opened its first pedestrian street, Garden Street Mews.
• In October 2012, the League of American Bicyclists named Hoboken a Bronze Bicycle Friendly Community making the City the third municipality in New Jersey to receive the designation.

Further details of the program are expected to roll out shortly.