Cycle Town

Borrow a bike for free: First 90 minutes of Houston's new bike share program aregratis

Bike Houston president Darren Saborn poses with one of the new public bikes fromthe B-cylcle program.
Photo by Katya Horner
LEFT TO RIGHT: State legislators Carol Alvarado and Rodney Ellis; Annise Parker,Downtown District director Bob Eury and Bike Barn owner Neil Bremner
Photo by Tyler Rudick
"I expect to announce a trails initiative soon that will go to the ballot thisNovember," Parker told CultureMap. "We're working with the parks board onpossible bio-greenways right now."
Photo by Tyler Rudick
The bike share program is open for business with a trio of bike racks at CityHall, Market Square and the George R. Brown Convention Center.
Photo by Richard J. Carson

A group of about 40 city officials and reporters burst into applause Wednesday afternoon as Annise Parker turned the corner onto McKinney and locked her bike at the kiosk in front of City Hall.

"This was a nice, smooth ride," the mayor smiled to the crowd, showing off the inaugural fleet of public bicycles from the city's new bike share program, known as Houston B-cycle.

Funded with $100,000 of federal stimulus dollars from an EPA Climate Showcase grant, the pilot program is officially open for business with a trio of bike racks at City Hall, Market Square and the George R. Brown Convention Center.

"Imagine hopping on a bike and going from museum to museum without having to worry about parking, " Parker said.

"I'm excited to be out here today now that it's officially launch day for the Houston B-cycle," Parker said in her speech. "Currently we're just in the downtown area . . . We hope it will be embraced by Houstonians, as it has been in other cities, and that we'll be able to expand the system."

From 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. everyday, users can slide a credit card or B-cycle pass through the solar-powered kiosks for a 3-speed Trek cruiser to ride throughout the area. The first 90 minutes are free. Thereafter, it's $2 for each additional half hour with a maximum daily charge of $55. Those hoping to take full advantage of the service can purchase an annual membership for only $50.

A statement released from the city notes the initiative will start with 18 bicycles at three stations with plans to increase it to 200 bikes at more that 20 kiosks across Houston.

After remarks by state legislators Rodney Ellis and Carol Alvarado as well as by B-cycle president Bob Burns and Bike Houston president Darren Saborn, Parker spoke with CultureMap about the possible locations of upcoming share stations.

"The Washington Avenue corridor seems absolutely right for this," she said. "The museum area would be great too. Imagine hopping on a bike and going from museum to museum without having to worry about parking.

"It's perfect."

Parker was optimistic about the future of cycling throughout the city.

"These days, you can drive down Allen Parkway and Memorial and see all the trails going in," she said. "I expect to announce a trails initiative soon that will go to the ballot this November. We're working with the parks board on possible bio-greenways right now."

The mayor added that she hopes to include the location of the new paths and bike trails in the announcement.

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better than last year

Texas struggles as one of the 15 worst states to live in 2026

Photo by Vik Chan on Unsplash

Livability apparently isn't Texas' strong suit, according to the study.

After earning its worst-ever ranking last year, Texas has improved couple of spots on an evaluation of the best states to live, but it's still at the bottom of the pack.

Each year, WalletHub's analysts compare all 50 states using 51 livability metrics to measure their affordability, economy, education and health, quality of life, and safety. Factors that were weighed include the cost of living, homeownership rates, population and income growth rates, wealth gaps, public school system quality, road quality, crime rates, and many others.

The Lone Star State landed at No. 36 in 2026, making it the 15th worth state to live right now. That's on par with its 2024 ranking, and it's a two-spot improvement over its 2025 performance.

While Texas residents can brag about living in a state with the No. 1 highest number of restaurants per capita and the 7th best quality of life in the country, that's about it. Texas earned middling-to-poor scores among the four remaining livability rankings: safety (No. 33), affordability (No. 35), economy (No. 37), and education and health (No. 40).

Here's how Texas fared in other nationwide rankings in the study:

No. 27 – Income Growth
No. 30 – Housing Costs
No. 39 – Percentage of Population in Poverty
No. 42 – Percentage of Adults in Fair or Poor Health
No. 46 – Homeownership Rate
No. 49 – Percentage of Population Aged 25 and Older with a High School Diploma or Higher
No. 48 – Average Weekly Work Hours
No. 50 – Percentage of Insured Population

Texas has a lot of work to do to improve its livability for all of its residents, but especially for women, according to several other 2026 WalletHub studies. Texas is the fourth-worst state for women, the ninth-worst state for working mothers, and the seventh-worst place to have a baby based on limited access to maternal and pediatric healthcare.

But the very worst states to live prove that life could be much worse. New Mexico ranks 50th overall, with Louisiana (No. 49), Mississippi (No. 48), Alaska (No. 47), and Arkansas (No. 46) rounding out the bottom of the list.

After holding on as the No. 1 best state to live for a few years in a row, Massachusetts now ranks No. 4 and was overtaken by Idaho (No. 1), New Jersey (No. 2), and Wisconsin (No. 3). New Hampshire rounds out the top five best states to live.

WalletHub's top 10 best states to live in 2026 are:

No. 1 – Idaho
No. 2 – New Jersey
No. 3 – Wisconsin
No. 4 – Massachusetts
No. 5 – New Hampshire
No. 6 – Wyoming
No. 7 – Utah
No. 8 – Minnesota
No. 9 – Pennsylvania
No. 10 – Florida

wallethub texas reports