After its conception last year, the Colorado College Bike Share is up and running. Students can now pay $15 per block to have access to 10 new bikes that can be picked up and dropped off anytime at Worner Center.
Current sophomore Amelia Atencio came up with the idea before her freshman year in the Bridge program.
“We wanted people who didn’t already like biking to begin to like it,” said Atencio. “I didn’t really like to bike before I got to CC, and now I love my bike and really appreciate being able to ride it.” The program is now managed by Aaron Farquhar and Andrew Medema.
Farquhar and Atencio conducted research on the UCCS bike share program. They observed the check-in and check-out systems.
Atencio won $1,000 through the innovation institute to start the bike share program. After the initial funds got the ball rolling, it was easy to find other funders.
“We asked for a certain amount of money, and they offered us even more than we asked for,” said Medema. “That’s not usually how bargaining works, but it worked for us.”
The development of the program was also inspired by the biking culture in Colorado.
“So many students ride mountain bikes here, and there is such a general biking culture that it just makes sense that we would have a bike share,” said Farquhar. “Lots of other colleges have bike shares, and I remember wondering why we didn’t have one.”
Although the program is up and running, there are still some kinks to be worked out.
“We’re still trying to figure out a way to get helmets and bike lights to rent,” said Medema.
Although the program was initially very popular in the early fall, the winter weather has led to a decrease in sign-ups recently. Farquhar and Medema are focusing on streamlining the sign up process to encourage other members as well.
“Right now, it’s pretty inconvenient to sign up,” said Medema. “There’s a lot of back and forth between Worner, us [the Bike Share], and the students, and we think the program would run a lot more smoothly if we could streamline that process.”
Colorado Springs is also considering an expansive bike share program. The current conception of the Colorado Springs program would include Ivy Wild, Colorado College, UCCS, and Manitou Springs. The program would include 62 docking stations and 496 bikes. The program would be phased in over the course of five years.
However, the cost of such a program is substantial.
Current estimates for starting the system are around $3.4 million, with operating costs at $3.5 million. The system would generate some revenue and would bring Colorado Springs up to date with other modern cities that are increasing transportation options for its residents.
Anna Kelly
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