Bike racks for the University’s upcoming bike-share program, UBike, were installed this past week in preparation for a phase of beta testing before the comprehensive program is implemented.
UBike was initially scheduled to launch in October, but was delayed due to an extended wait for a GPS lock upgrade for the bikes. Now that the technology is ready, the UBike program will soon be deploying 30 bikes for testing to evaluate if the new hardware works appropriately.
Rebecca White, director of the transportation and parking department at the University, said the beta testing is a necessary step to ensure all potential complications in the technology have been resolved.
White said she believes the beta testing will be complete prior to the end of the semester, at which time the program will be cleared to launch.
White said there are numerous upcoming initiatives to spread awareness of the bike-share program to the student body, and opportunities to sign up for this environmentally-friendly alternative transportation system will be coming soon.
“We’ll have multiple sign up drives throughout the semester, where we will set up a tent," White said. "We’ll be out on grounds on different locations, signing people up on the spot. We’ll also have a crew of bike ambassadors, and we’ll use email and other on-Grounds connections to let people know that UBike is an option.”
The bike share system is intended to be an inexpensive, convenient and environmentally responsible alternative for other transportation options. However, the program will initially be capped at 120 bikes.
White said future expansion is possible but would hinge on whether or not the program can find adequate funding.
“Funding is one of the big questions,” White said. “We have federal and state grant money to upgrade the system for about the next two years, but after that we would have to have a discussion about with Student Council moving forward.”
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