Helmet vending machines to debut at four Boston Hubway stations this month

A rendering of the latest design for the HelmetHub vending machines, four of which are in production right now.

Vending machines that will dispense bike helmets to either rent or buy are scheduled to debut at four Hubway bike share stations in Boston at the end of August.

“Boston will be the first city in the US to do this,” said Nicole Freedman, head of the city’s bicycle programming. “The real goal is to make sure cyclists in Boston are wearing helmets as much as possible.”

City officials, including Mayor Thomas M. Menino, are scheduled to hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Monday, Aug. 26, for one of the first HelmetHub machines, which will be attached to a Hubway station outside the Boston Public Library in Copley Square, said Freedman, director of Boston Bikes.

Locations for the other three pilot helmet vending machines have not yet been finalized, but Freedman said they will likely be installed at Hubway stations that attract the highest amount of “casual ridership,” or riders who are least likely to wear helmets.

The top Hubway stations for casual ridership are at: Beacon and Arlington streets, Boylston and Arlington Streets, Charles Circle, North Station and South Station, she said.

Pricing has also not been finalized, but Freedman expects the machines will charge users $2 to rent a helmet for 24 hours. To buy the helmets, the cost will be “in the $20 range,” she ...

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