When Aaron Charlwood and Angie Tan go grocery shopping in Arlington these days, they don’t always grab their car keys first. Instead, they’re going to rent a bike from a new bike-sharing program called Cargo B. The idea was hatched at their Jamaica Plains kitchen table last fall.
CargoB’s electric bikes, introduced in Greater Boston in May, have a front storage compartment that can hold up to 300 pounds. A pedal-assisted electric motor allows the bike to travel at up to 20 miles per hour.
The Cargo B not only lets Charlwood haul groceries, but also her 6-year-old, bags of mulch, and a bunch of other items from Home Depot. “It’s super convenient, and in these urban areas, it’s quicker to get around by bike than by car,” Charlwood says.
As of September 12, 544 people have registered to ride the service since the company was launched.
While it may not have as much space as a pickup truck, the storage area is “comparable to the trunk of a compact car,” said Dorothy Fennell, co-founder and CEO of Cargo B.
The Cargo B is significantly larger than a typical bike, but only in length, not width: The storage box is as wide as the length of the handlebars, so it can ride comfortably in bike lanes, Fennell says.
While cargo bikes are available for rental in many European markets, CargoB’s launch in Boston will make it the first ride-sharing service in the US to offer on-demand cargo bikes in public locations.
Cargo B bikes are available all year round, including in the winter. In bad weather, snowstorms and ice, the bikes are locked for the safety of customers. But if it’s just cold, Cargo B encourages people to wear a coat when riding. “It’s no different than walking outside in the cold,” Fennell says.
The company says the design allows you to carry your belongings without the extra weight making it harder to control the bike, though customers have said it can be difficult to handle at first.
Having the opportunity to cycle without luggage could be safer, Tung said.
“It’s a skill, and it takes time to develop that skill,” Charlwood said, comparing it to someone who’s never driven a car, and should start by driving a car before driving a truck.
But what about the safety of pedestrians and other cyclists who worry about riders on oversized bikes? Brendan Carney, co-executive director of Walk Massachusetts, a group that aims to make walking safer in the state, said the biggest concern remains cars, not cargo bike riders.
“If we can get more people to bike instead of drive, I think that’s definitely a big win for everybody’s safety,” Carney said.
Aaron Charlwood and Angie Tan were preparing to set off on a bike ride from their Charlwood home in Arlington on their rented Cargo B bikes. David L. Ryan/Globe Staff
There’s another problem: CargoB doesn’t have that many bikes. Currently, the company has just one bike in each of its three locations: Jamaica Plain, Somerville, and Cambridge. Each station only has one bike available to rent for a few hours.
Fennell said a new location will open soon in Boston’s Seaport, with the goal of eventually having 15 bikes across the greater Boston area by March.
To rent a CarboB, you need to get the app, find an available bike, scan the bike’s QR code, and ride. It costs $2.50 to unlock the bike, plus an additional 25 cents per minute of riding.
You can reserve a bike up to 30 minutes in advance for a non-refundable $10 fee, and if you miss your chance to ride in time you’ll need to rebook.
You can also rent a bike for the day, but it will cost $199, plus a $15 round-trip delivery fee if you want your bike delivered.
Unlike a BlueBike rental, CargoB requires you to return to the specific location you started from. “It’s not A to B, it’s a roundtrip system from A to A,” Fennell says.
While there may be some drawbacks, riders like Charlwood say to consider the alternatives: “Do you want to spend that time parking your car and paying parking fees… or do you want to spend that time enjoying the outdoors?”
Mr Tan said he much prefers being outside on his bike rather than “being inside a metal box”.
Aaron Charlwood, riding a Cargo B bike, joined Arlington’s morning bike bus group to take one child to school and another to daycare before heading to work. David L. Ryan/Globe Staff
Across Greater Boston, cargo bike enthusiasts (and not just CargoBs) have formed a community, coming together through a Facebook group called Cargo Bikes of Camberville, which connects riders who plan to ride together.
CargoB is helping the group grow. Though there are only three bikes available to rent, Tung hopes the company will continue to expand and the cargo bike idea will catch on. Her dream is that one day Boston will be like Amsterdam, a city where bicycles are the primary mode of transportation for all of life’s necessities.
Rachel Umansky-Castro can be contacted at rachel.umanskycastro@globe.com.
