When Aaron Charlwood and Angie Tung do their grocery shopping in Arlington these days, they’re not always grabbing for the car keys as their first impulse. Instead, they’re looking to rent a CargoB, a bicycle from a new bike-share program, an idea hatched last fall around a kitchen table Jamaica Plain.
CargoB’s electric bike, introduced to Greater Boston in May, has front storage that can hold up to 300 pounds. A pedal-assisted electric motor can propel the bikes up to 20 miles per hour.
With his CargoB, Charlwood is not just able to transport his groceries, there’s room for his 6-year-old, a bag of mulch, and plenty of items from Home Depot. “It’s super convenient, and it’s actually faster to move around in an urban area like this on a bicycle than in a car,” said Charlwood.
Since the company’s launch, 544 people had registered to ride as of Sept. 12
It may not offer the space of a pickup truck, but storage is “comparable to the size of a trunk in a compact car,” said Dorothy Fennell, co-founder and CEO of CargoB.
Though a CargoB is much larger than a typical bike, that’s only in length, not width. The storage box is no wider than the length of the handlebars, so it‘s still possible to ride in the bike lane comfortably, said Fennell.
Many European markets offer cargo bike rentals, but CargoB’s launch in Boston marks the first ride share of its kind — on-demand cargo bikes stationed in publicly accessible places — in the United States.
CargoB bikes will be available all year, including the winter. In severe weather, a snowstorm, or icy conditions the company will lock the bikes for the safety of customers. But if it’s just cold weather, CargoB encourages people to put on a coat and go for a ride. “It’s no different than walking outside in the cold,” said Fennell.
The company says the design allows items to be carried without the extra weight making the bike hard to control. That said, customers say it may be difficult at first to handle.
Having the opportunity to ride the bike without loading it up first might be safer, said Tung.
“It is a skill, and it does take time to develop that skill,” said Charlwood. He draws a comparison with somebody who’s never driven a vehicle — start with a car before driving a truck.
But what about the safety of pedestrians or other cyclists worried about riders maneuvering those extra-big bikes? Brendan Kearney, co-executive director of WalkMassachusetts, a group that aims to make walking safer in the state, said cars remain the greatest worry, not people on cargo bikes.
“If more people are riding bikes instead of vehicles, I think that’s definitely a big win for everyone’s safety,” said Kearney.
One more issue: There aren’t many CargoB bikes available. The company has just three bikes at the moment, in Jamaica Plain, Somerville, and Cambridge. Each station only has one bike to rent for a few hours.
A new location should be arriving in Boston‘s Seaport soon, with the eventual goal of having 15 bikes across the Boston metro area by March, said Fennell.
To rent a CarboB, you need to get the app, locate an available bike, scan the QR code on that bike, then ride. It costs $2.50 to unlock the bike than an additional 25 cents for each minute you’re riding.
For a non-refundable $10 you can reserve a bike for up to 30 minutes in advance. If you fail to reach that bike in time, it’s up for grabs again.
You can also rent a bike for a full day, but that will cost you $199, plus a $15 delivery fee both ways if you want it brought to you.
Unlike BlueBike rentals, CargoB must go back to the specific location where you start. “Instead of a point A to point B … it’s a round-trip, point A to point A, system,” said Fennell.
While there may be some drawbacks, riders like Charlwood say consider the alternative. ”Do you want to spend that time parking your car, paying for parking … Or do you want to spend that time enjoying the open air?”
For Tung, she said she much prefers being outside on a bike than “inside a metal box.”
Across Greater Boston, cargo bike enthusiasts (not just CargoB) have melded into a community, brought together through a Facebook group called, Cargo Bikes of Camberville, which connects riders planning rides together.
CargoB is helping to grow that group. Although there are only three rentals available, Tung hopes the company continues to expand and the idea of cargo bikes catches on. Her dream: someday Boston becomes more like Amsterdam, a city where bikes become the primary mode of transport for all of life’s daily necessities.
Rachel Umansky-Castro can be reached at rachel.umanskycastro@globe.com.