Boston's poor can get bike membership prescribed by doctor. $5 annual fee

New city program lets doctors ‘prescribe’ bike-sharing memberships

An excerpt

The City of Boston has announced a program to subsidize bike-sharing memberships for low-income residents, in partnership with Boston Medical Center.

The program, “Prescribe-a-Bike,” would allow doctors at Boston Medical Center to prescribe low-income patients with a yearlong membership to Hubway, a bike-share program, for only $5.

Participants would be allowed unlimited number of trips on the bicycles, provided they use them for 30 minutes or less at a time. They will also be given a free helmet, the mayor’s office said in a joint statement with Boston Medical Center.

Comment

Public funding. No mention of any attempt to get a pharmaceutical to pay for the program.