Texas A&M Campus Offers New Bike Share Program

From ABC

By Eric Pointer

Published: September 23, 2013

COLLEGE STATION -

With Texas A&M's student body growing, the number of bikes on campus is growing as well. This fall the school partnered with Maroon Bikes to start a bike share program.

"We have over 10,000 privately owned bikes on campus," said Manager of Sustainable Transportation Ron Steedly. "What we've tried to do is come up with a system that allows users to share bikes instead of bringing their own. Hopefully reducing the clutter around campus."

There are six different stations around campus.

Junior Colleen Harrison, says that the bike share program has helped her save time. "I've kind of wanted one on campus since I was a freshman. And then I come out here and I see this and I'm like 'oh this, this is good.' I looked it up and it was really just like 'this is useful' Its just so much easier getting to class with them," said Harrison.

The bike share membership is free to students, and .the first two hours are free. The third and fourth hour are a dollar each and the rest of the day until midnight is free after that.

"To sign up for the program you go to maroon bike share dot com and there is a form you just fill it out," said Steedly.
After a student registers online all they have to do is find a key station, swipe their card, grab a key, unlock the bike and be on their way. They also have to return the bike to the same station the rented it from.

"Its been going great since August, we've had very few issues, students are using it quite a bit, and so far nobody has really complained to me yet. If you have any I'd like to hear them," said Andre Denais with Maroon Bikes. "I appreciate all the patients for any issues we've had so far."
The bikes require very little maintenance, they don't use chains and have airless tires. If something happens while someone is riding, they can call maroon bikes to let them know.

"Really the only thing that could happen is them not locking it and it getting stolen, which is very rare," said Denais. "Then they would be liable for a fee on that bike, other than that, if there is any mechanical issue its almost always a failure on our end. We usually cover that unless there is evidence of purposeful damage."