Kickstarting National Bike Month and Women's Health Awareness Month, community leaders join Blue Cross MA CEO to unveil new bike designs, celebrate the rollout of ebikes and extension of the health plan's Bluebikes title sponsorship through 2031
Photos available for download here (photo credit Nick Grace)
BOSTON, May 6, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts ("Blue Cross") today announced a new initiative aimed at supporting women's health in Greater Boston through bikeshare, aligning with National Bike Month and Women's Health Awareness Month. As the title sponsor of Bluebikes, Blue Cross will sponsor free Bluebikes credits on Sundays through the remainder of May, encouraging individuals to prioritize physical activity and reap the numerous health benefits of cycling.
Blue Cross President and CEO Sarah Iselin unveiled the initiative during a special event held this morning on Boston's City Hall Plaza to kick off National Bike Month, hosted by Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, and joined by Cambridge Assistant City Manager Iram Farooq.
"Bluebikes is a critical part of our public transportation network in greater Boston, and we are grateful for Blue Cross' steadfast commitment to ensuring that residents have access to affordable, convenient, and healthy transportation," said Mayor Michelle Wu. "Here in Boston we've worked to expand access and education around biking, with the discounted Boston Bikes Pass that makes Bluebikes more affordable for our residents, and the learn to ride classes our skilled city staff host for adults to get comfortable biking on our city streets."
In addition to commemorating the extension of Blue Cross' Bluebikes title sponsorship through May 2031, the event featured a 20-minute spin class on the system's newly redesigned bikes to highlight the importance of physical activity for women's physical and mental well-being. Numerous studies underscore the health advantages of cycling, for both men and women, including reduced risks of heart disease and diabetes.
Iselin emphasized the important role of Bluebikes in promoting community health for all: "We're excited to continue partnering on the Bluebikes program and enabling wider access to the bike share system that has become such an important resource for so many people," said Iselin. "We're proud that Bluebikes supports the mental and physical health of our communities while also helping people get where they need to go."
The $5 Bluebikes credits will be available for same day use, while supplies last, each upcoming Sunday in May. They can be accessed with code BLUECROSSHEALTH1 (May 12), BLUECROSSHEALTH2 (May19) and BLUECROSSHEALTH3 (May 26) in the Bluebikes app and used across the Bluebikes system's 13 municipalities for both pedal and ebikes (per minute fees apply): Arlington, Boston, Brookline, Cambridge, Chelsea, Everett, Malden, Medford, Newton, Revere, Salem, Somerville, and Watertown.
As part of the month-long initiative, Blue Cross will also be making donations to Femmechanics a female-focused biking group dedicated to encouraging more women to embrace cycling.
Blue Cross has been the title sponsor of Bluebikes since its inception in May 2018 and remains committed to expanding public bike sharing in Greater Boston as a safe and sustainable public transportation option through its partnership with the municipal owners of Bluebikes and Lyft. In the six years of Blue Cross' sponsorship, the system has doubled in size, adding more than 200 stations, 400 pedal bikes and, most recently, 750 next-generation ebikes to its fleet. Bluebikes is owned by the municipalities and operated by Lyft.
For more information on Bluebikes, visit Bluebikes.com.
About Bluebikes
Bluebikes is public transportation by bike. The system is municipally owned by thirteen cities and towns in eastern Massachusetts, jointly managed by the Cities of Boston, Cambridge, Everett, and Somerville and the Town of Brookline, and operated under contract by Lyft. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts is the system's title sponsor. Riders can find approximately 475 stations and 4,000 bikes, including ebikes, across the thirteen municipalities: Arlington, Boston, Brookline, Cambridge, Chelsea, Everett, Medford, Malden, Newton, Revere, Salem, Somerville, and Watertown. Since 2011, riders have taken more than 22 million trips on Bluebikes. For more information about Bluebikes, visit Bluebikes.com.
About Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (bluecrossma.org) is a community-focused, tax-paying, not-for-profit health plan headquartered in Boston. We are committed to showing up for everyone like they're the only one and guiding our members to the exceptional health care they deserve – affordably, equitably and seamlessly. In keeping with our commitment, we are rated among the nation's best health plans for member satisfaction and quality. Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn.
SOURCE Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts