Hubway Offers Discounted Memberships For Food Stamp Recipients

Low income residents who use food stamps will now get discounted bike share memberships in the Boston area.

Boston and neighboring Cambridge, Somerville and Brookline announced that residents who are part of the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, can purchase discounted memberships on Hubway, the metro area's public bike sharing system.

The SNAP Card to Ride program will provide $5 monthly memberships and $50 annual memberships to individuals over the age of 16. The membership includes unlimited 60-minute trips.

The program is part of efforts to improve bike share access among traditionally underserved populations. Hubway has more than 1,800 bikes at 194 stations across the four communities.

SNAP benefits provide monthly subsidies toward the purchase of groceries. They're commonly known as food stamps.

Correction: An earlier version of this AP story said SNAP benefits could be used to purchase the discounted memberships. We regret the error.