Salem Mayor Kimberley Driscoll and Salem State President John Keenan joined Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts and Lyft for celebratory event
SALEM, Mass. , Sept.14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The City of Salem today announced the addition of seven new Bluebikes stations throughout the city, expanding access beyond the eight stations that were originally introduced when Metro Boston's public bikeshare system first entered Salem in 2021. The new stations, including one at Salem State University's North Campus, offer more opportunity for residents, students, workers, and visitors to experience the healthy, fun, and sustainable way of traveling via Bluebikes.
Earlier today, Salem Mayor Kimberley Driscoll, Salem State University President John Keenan, executives from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts ("Blue Cross"), including Director of Public Affairs Maria Fernandes-Dominique and Sales Account Executive Adam Thornton, along with leadership from Lyft gathered for a celebratory event on Salem State's campus to commemorate the Bluebikes expansion. Blue Cross is the title sponsor of Bluebikes, which is owned by the municipalities and operated by Lyft.
"Expanding access to Bluebikes in Salem helps further connect our city and make more neighborhoods and destinations reachable by bike," said Mayor Driscoll. "With fifteen total stations now located throughout Salem, our residents, students, workers, and visitors have more access to this healthy, fun, and sustainable way of traveling – while also reducing our city's reliance on passenger vehicles and their associated climate and congestion impacts. The launch of Bluebikes in 2021 was a huge success, thanks to Blue Cross, Salem State University and our local program partners, all of whom made it an easy and seamless process to expand the number of stations in our city."
"We are proud to expand our partnership in this program, which increases our campus community's access to biking as a healthy, fun and environmentally safe way to travel," said Salem State University President John D. Keenan. "I am particularly grateful for Mayor Driscoll's leadership in increasing the City's biking infrastructure, including connecting the bike path through our Harrington Campus right into downtown Salem."
The expansion of Bluebikes was made possible by a combination of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and other city funding and support from Blue Cross and Salem State University. With seven new stations, approximately 44 new bikes have been added throughout the city. The new stations are at the locations listed below:
- Salem State University - North Campus
- Essex St at Dalton Parkway
- Forest River Park
- Salem MBTA - Lower Level
- Community Life Center
- Goodhue St at Grove St
- North St at Liberty Hill Ave
To see a full Bluebikes station map – including all stations in Salem – please visit member.bluebikes.com/map.
Through collaboration with the municipal owners of Bluebikes, Blue Cross is committed to promoting the overall health and wellbeing of Massachusetts residents by supporting system growth and accessibility – including through station expansions, system upgrades, and the addition of new bikes.
"We're committed to leveraging our title sponsorship of Bluebikes to make it easier for more individuals in Greater Metro Boston Area to experience the benefits of public bike share," said Jeff Bellows, vice president of corporate citizenship and public affairs at Blue Cross. "With Salem's successful and enthusiastic launch of Bluebikes last year and the addition of seven new stations, we're thrilled to help broaden access to the bikeshare system across Salem and to support residents, students and visitors looking to lead healthy and sustainable lifestyles."
As a publicly owned bike share system, Bluebikes preserves and promotes equity of access for members and ensures that memberships remain affordable. The station-based system promotes riding and commuting across city lines, preserves predictability and management for the public right of way, and allows for the continuous monitoring of bike availability and maintenance needs.
Riders can purchase annual Bluebikes memberships – which include unlimited 45-minute rides—for $119 a year or $26.75 for 30 days. A discount program, where annual passes are $50 and 30-day passes are available for $5, is available for residents with eligible incomes. Free 30-day Bluebikes passes are available to anyone during the MBTA's Orange Line shutdown. For more information on Bluebikes fare options, visit www.bluebikes.com.
To access and download photos from the celebratory event, please click here.
About Bluebikes
Bluebikes is public transportation by bike. The system is jointly owned and managed by the Cities of Boston, Cambridge, Everett, Salem and Somerville and the Town of Brookline. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts is the system's title sponsor. Riders can find 400 stations and 4,000 bikes across 11 municipalities in Metro Boston. Since 2011, more than 14 million trips have been taken by bike share. For more information about Bluebikes, visit bluebikes.com.
About Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (bluecrossma.org) is a community-focused, tax-paying, not-for-profit health plan headquartered in Boston. We are committed to the relentless pursuit of quality, affordable and equitable health care with an unparalleled consumer experience. Consistent with our promise to always put our members first, we are rated among the nation's best health plans for member satisfaction and quality. Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn.
SOURCE Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts
