Alta Bicycle Share, the company that operates Hubway and bike-share programs in cities across the country, is changing its name to Motivate.
The rebranding comes almost three months after Alta was acquired by Bikeshare Holdings LLC – an investment venture that includes the CEOs of Equinox and Related Companies, which REQX Ventures is also a part of.
“Motivate has chosen this new name to help reflect the values it wants to bring to the industry,” said Hubway marketing manger Benjy Kantor. “Motivate is more than a bike share company; we have a vision for using the latest technology to create a new form of urban transportation that is flexible and personalized to the way people live today.”
Motivate now operates Citi Bike in New York, Divvy in Chicago, Capital Bike Share in Washington D.C, COGO in Columbus, Bike Chattanooga in Chattanooga, Pronto in Seattle and Bay Area Bike Share in the San Francisco Bay Area.
It was recently announced that Jersey City will receive 35 stations and 350 bikes as part of Citi Bike system expansion.
“Bike share has become an integral part of the 21st century city, and Motivate is the only company with the proven experience and expertise to effectively deliver and operate multiple large bike share systems,” said Jay Walder, Chief Executive Officer of Motivate, in a statement. “As cities change and grow more rapidly than ever, only bike share is flexible and personalized to keep pace. Now, with the backing of new ownership, Motivate is positioned to deliver even better service to cities and bring bike share to scale.”
In Massachusetts, Hubway stations are available for use in Boston, Cambridge, Somerville and Brookline. Cambridge stations are the only ones in use during the winter. Boston’s, as well as Brookline’s and Somerville’s, are expected to come out of hibernation sometimes in March or April depending on the weather.
Earlier in January, Cambridge announced several possible initiatives that include getting rid of the $100 hold on debit cards for users, a new marketing campaign to bolster the ridership of under-represented people and communities, and offering reduced rates for those who qualify for city assistance like affordable housing.
