Bluebikes Could Push Into Arlington As Lime Pedals Out

ARLINGTON, MA — Out with the old, in with the Blue? After Lime announced it would pull its bikes from 16 greater Boston communities this year, Bluebikes is poised to corner the area bike share market. Bluebikes – which is owned by Boston, Cambridge, Somerville, Brookline and Everett – is negotiating with five former Lime municipalities, including Arlington, Curbed reported.

The system is looking to expand this spring into Arlington, Watertown, Newton, Chelsea and Revere, according to Curbed. In announcing Lime's departure last week, the town of Arlington said it is examining other mobility options and will update the Select Board Jan. 27.

Lime told the Metropolitan Area Planning Council this month it will not renew its contract for the area in 2020. The bike-share has been around for more than a year, coming to town as part of an area council that served 15 nearby communities.

Travelers could find and unlock Lime bikes with their phone and leave them along sidewalks, corners or paths when they were done, as long as the bike didn't block the way for pedestrians.

Arlington saw some of the highest activity among participating communities between the program's start in April 2018 and September 2019, leaving it ripe for another bike-share system. The town logged 233 trips per 1,000 people, the third-highest rate behind Malden and Everett.