Matt Weir / The Collegian

One company offers a bike sharing program to colleges

A bicycle-sharing program aims to aid students while reducing carbon emissions.

The Collegiate Bicycle Company (CBC) offers customizable bike-sharing programs to colleges and universities across the nation.

According to Jonathan Sobin, director of product marketing for the CBC, the automated ridesharing programs do not involve renting or owning a specific bicycle. The bicycles are shared among all participants.

“For every mile traveled on one of our bikes, a pound of carbon emissions is saved from the atmosphere,” Sobin said. “The program also allows for less traffic on or around campus and allows for more parking spaces to be available because less people will be driving to their classes.”

As part of the program, stations would be erected around campus to hold bicycles. Participants would swipe ID cards to check out a bicycle for an allotted amount of time before returning it to one of the stations.

Sobin said the cost of the program for students is customizable and varies according to the university. He also said that the automated ridesharing program would cost the university $3,500 per bicycle and the university can choose how many bicycles to purchase for their campus.

Sobin also said the program offers many benefits to the students and the university.

Recently, University of California, Irvine adopted the ridesharing program ZotWheels. ZotWheels is an automated bike-sharing program with four on-campus bicycle stations. There are a total of 30 bikes at UC Irvine and membership costs $40 per year. If the bike is severely damaged or not returned within 24 hours, the user must pay a replacement fee of $200.

Lynn Harris, the program manager for ZotWheels at UC Irvine, said the university adopted the program because it was a great addition to their other sustainable means of transportation.
“We wanted to give the students an alternate form of transportation while reducing our GHG [green house gas] emissions,” Harris said in an e-mail interview. “In addition, it is a health benefit to the users.”

Harris said the program would benefit the students, faculty, university and environment, no matter the size of the university. She also said the program has experienced great success since its inception in November 2009.

“We already have 50 members and that number is steadily growing,” Harris said. “We expect the number to dramatically increase once we actually advertise the program and the weather improves. All in all, the program has been an incredible success and our members are very happy.”

Amy Armstrong, public information officer for the University Police Department, said that Fresno State has looked into ridesharing programs in the recent past.

“We have looked at a lot of different companies,” Armstrong said. “[CBC] offers a really good program, but it is just too costly right now, especially with the budget cuts and all. Right now we are working with [Associated Students Inc.] to figure out what students really want.”

Sobin said that a ridesharing program would be financially beneficial in the long run.

“The program is very cost efficient,” Sobin said.

Sobin said the average cost for one new parking space is $15,000 to $20,000.

“Plus the users will pay their yearly fees and this can also allow a university to not have to build, say, a new parking structure or lot if they are low on on-campus parking spaces,” Sobin said.