Bike sharing: the next step in college transportation


Campuses all around the United States of America are exploding with the new form of transport that is completely eco-friendly, takes very little parking space, and has very little waiting time. This is the innovation of bike sharing.
The idea behind bike sharing programs is that travelers pick up a bicycle at a location shown by an app, ride off to where they need to go, and either drop the bike at a nearby station or leave it for the next person to pick up. Payment can be made by credit or debit card, membership card, through an app, or by paying a monthly subscription.

Bike sharing: the next step in college transportation

It’s a growing industry

Bike-sharing was started as far back as 2007 in Cambridge and has grown steadily over the past decade but is now an erupting market with $1.3 million invested by the state transportation commission and nearly $200 000 at Oregon University alone.
Cities are also seeing the emergence of private bike sharing companies, with some being specialized for college and university campuses. The market share of these companies is also growing speedily. This industry is definitely a space to watch.

It’s a sustainable project

Bike sharing is an efficient way to get around. There is no fuel cost which means it is also very environmentally friendly and these bicycles are rented for much cheaper than say cars because they cost a lot less to set up. Bicycles also don’t require a driver’s license to use and there is no real hassle with insurance (though please do pay attention to road rules and safety gear).
Bicycle-sharing also reduces congestion, noise, and reduces the amount of parking space needed. These programs can run for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. There really are very few disadvantages to the system.

It’s perfect for colleges

College campuses often consist of large areas interspersed with buildings and several departments. Some colleges may require students to get from one building to another between classes even though they are on opposite sides of the campus. But with bike sharing, there is the opportunity of setting up several stations or docks throughout, allowing students to ride between buildings and drop the bike off nearby. This system saves time and energy.
There is also the potential of bike sharing between nearby dorms and colleges which reduces the impact of private cars and public transport and gets students exercising. As mentioned earlier, it also reduces the amount of parking space required drastically. Students would no longer have to spend significant amounts of money on fuel or parking.

Bike sharing: the next step in college transportation
Bike sharing is the future

For all of the reasons listed above, there actually seems to be no choice but for cities to move toward bike sharing because the world is running out of fossil fuels, space on the roads and spaces in parking bays. With growing populations and worsening environmental effects, a system like this has to be adopted. So it makes sense to start on college campuses because they are essentially small enclosed communities, where the program can be well controlled and monitored. From colleges, it may move to city centers and possibly across entire cities and countries. To college students, we suggest joining the movement now and reaping the benefits as soon as possible.

Recommended For You