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Hubway set for big expansion and year-round service

Other communities that Hubway serves also plan to add stations.Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff/Globe Staff

Boston plans to vastly expand its bicycle-rental system by adding more than 70 new stations over the next two years, bringing the total in the city to about 200.

The other municipalities that
Hubway serves also plan to add stations, with Brookline expecting to increase the number to 13. Details about Cambridge and Somerville were not available Thursday.

Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh announced Thursday that the city will begin planning locations for the new stations this summer, through a process that will include neighborhood meetings.

Since its launch in Boston in 2011, Hubway has steadily grown to more than 180 total stations in the four municipalities.

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Walsh, who earlier this month angered cyclists when he said they must pay closer attention to the roads, also said the city will keep most of its stations open year-round.

Hubway has traditionally shut down for the winter in Boston, Somerville, and Brookline, but it remained open for the season in Cambridge.

The Hubway system is operated by Motivate International, a private company that also runs bike systems in New York City, Chicago, and Washington, D.C.

Walsh said that Boston has signed a new long-term contract with Motivate to continue operating the system.

Hubway users sign up for memberships that last as little as 24 hours or as long as a year.

The system has about 1,600 bicycles and has logged 5.3 million trips since it debuted.


Adam Vaccaro can be reached at adam.vaccaro@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter at @adamtvaccaro.