Popular WSU Green Bike program expanding

PULLMAN, Wash. – Washington State University’s Green Bike program is expanding again, making 85 bikes available for rental at seven locations across the Pullman campus. 

The bikes from the BIXI company have been very popular with students. Jamie Bentley, University Recreation environmental wellbeing coordinator, said the bikes have been checked out more than 8,500 times since August 2010. 

The goals of the program are to encourage a healthy lifestyle and reduce the university’s ecological footprint by offering an alternative to automobile transportation (see earlier article). 

Students, faculty and staff can check out bikes by simply swiping their Cougar Cards. The bikes can be returned within the next 24 hours to any station. 

To handle an additional 30 bikes in the system, three new bike stations have been installed, one near the transit hub at Hillside (near old Bookie building), one at Southside (near Kruegel-McAllister Hall), and another at Northside (Regents Hall). The bike program has expanded several times, including in August 2010 (see article).     

Bentley said the Green Bike program will continue to be evaluated to determine where new stations and bikes should be placed and whether growth into the surrounding community is feasible. 

For more information about the Green Bike Program, click here.