Purdue celebrates launch of Bike Share Program

August 27, 2015

Purdue celebrated the start of its new Bike Share Program on the West Lafayette campus with a public launch event on Wednesday (Aug. 26). From left: Lindsey Hummel, Purdue student; Michael Gulich, Purdue director of sustainability; President Mitch Daniels; Timothy Ericson, chief executive officer of bike share vendor Zagster; and My-Lea Coulombe-Quach, Purdue student. (Purdue University/ Mark Simons)

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Purdue University celebrated the start of its new Bike Share Program on the West Lafayette campus with a public launch event on Wednesday (Aug. 26).

The event held by the "Gateway to the Future" arch near the intersection of Stadium Avenue and University Street included a brief program and ceremonial ribbon cutting. Speakers were Purdue President Mitch Daniels; Michael Gulich, Purdue director of sustainability; Timothy Ericson, chief executive officer of bike share vendor Zagster; and Jim Beck, communications and public affairs manager at Alcoa.

Computers were set up at the event to allow attendees to sign up for the Bike Share Program, and student representatives from the University Sustainability Office were on hand to assist with memberships and answer questions.

Purdue, with the support of a grant from the Alcoa Foundation, is bringing bike sharing to campus as a way of providing a fun, clean and convenient transportation option for Purdue students, faculty and staff, community members, and university visitors, Gulich said.

"We have received many requests for the university to offer a bike share program," he said. "We're excited to launch the service this fall and to further enhance the bicycle-friendliness of campus, which is an ongoing priority."

Membership in the program is open to Purdue students, faculty and staff, as well as campus visitors and the public. Yearly membership is available for $25, and 24-hour passes are $5. On weekdays, rides shorter than three hours are free; after three hours, the cost is $2 an hour up to $10 per ride. On Saturdays and Sundays, members can ride up to six hours at no additional charge; after six hours, the cost is $2 an hour up to $10 per ride.

Program members borrow a bike by entering the bike's number into the Zagster app or by SMS text messages. Bikes may be returned to any station on campus.

Memberships and 24-hour passes may be purchased online using a credit card at www.zagster.com/purdue. Free bike helmets will be provided to the first 500 individuals who purchase an annual membership.

Fifty bikes are now in place at 13 campus bike share locations near residence halls, offices, bus stops, parking garages, bike lanes and parking lots. A map of the bike share locations, along with general program information and FAQs, is available at www.zagster.com/purdue. Usage data will be analyzed on an ongoing basis to determine potential future needs.

A video about the program is here.

Writer: Valerie O'Brien, 765-494-9573, vobrien@purdue.edu