"It truly is the fastest way to get across campus," Steedly said. "On the sustainability side, you are your energy -- it's absolutely the greenest way to go aside from walking."

Steedly, who is largely responsible for A&M being named a "bicycle-friendly university" by the League of American Bicyclists, hopes the share system will serve as a gateway for students interested in becoming cyclists, but who don't want to buy a bike or worry about fixing flat tires.

"For those who think, 'Yeah, it's cool, but I don't really care enough to really do it'," he said. "You can try it now, and just walk away when you are done -- your commitment is over."

Among those who share Steedly's hope is Chris Malloy, an avid cyclist who helps run Bryan-College Station Courtesy Mass, a community of cyclists who advocate for cyclist safety.

Malloy said bike shares are especially common in bigger cities and sees the addition of one on Texas A&M's campus as progress toward making the greater area more cyclist-friendly.

He said he was excited to hear about the program coming to A&M and will be keeping an eye out for whether cities in the area and other institutions such as Blinn College pick up bike shares as a result.

"I think this is definitely a great step forward for integrating bicycles into the Bryan-College Station area," he said. "Because when you have more bike shares available in the community, it's going to promote more use of bicycles in general."