Lyft and Baltimore Bike Share are partnering on ‘transportation hubs’

Lyft and Baltimore city’s transportation department are rolling out a new partnership that will integrate ridesharing at five Baltimore Bike Share stations.
The Lyft-branded transportation hubs will include dedicated pickup and drop-off zones for ridesharing alongside bikes. The program also includes integration in both the Lyft and Baltimore Bike Share apps. The first was unveiled Thursday during a news conference
Lyft said the three-year partnership is the first of its kind with a city.
“We want to make Baltimore a city for people, not cars,” said Lyft Baltimore market manager Mike Heslin. “A big part of that is making it easier for people to choose how they want to get around the city.”
The initial five sites are located downtown, and were chosen because they are in high-traffic areas, said city Transportation Director Michelle Pourciau.
“The city has been really forward thinking in taking five popular areas of the city and making those not just locations for bikeshare, but also passenger loading zones,” Heslin said.
The transit hubs will be at the following locations:

• Baltimore Visitor Center
• National Aquarium
• Shot Tower Metro
• Harbor East
• Hopkins Place

Both apps will include features that indicate the location of the hubs.
The partnership also includes sponsorship for Baltimore Bike Share, which officials have been seeking since the program launched in 2016. The bikeshare program relaunched late last year after hitting pause due to issues with maintenance and theft, and has since been expanding.
“This is a step in moving biking forward in Baltimore,” said Pugh, who also spoke of a desire to grow the hubs to other neighborhoods.
For its part, Lyft has been looking to grow via partnerships with local entities after opening a local office near Penn Station in 2016.