Third generation bike sharing on the West coast will likely debut on a university campus before being deployed in a large city such as San Francisco or Portland. The New York Times reports that the San Diego-based Collegiate Bicycle Company will launch ZotWheels, a fully automated self-service bike share program, this fall at the University of California Irvine.
UC Irvine approached Central Specialties Limited, a manufacturer of stroller venders, in May of 2008 about the possibility of modifying its vending components to meet the University’s desired bike share system specifications. The result: an intelligent third generation design that has already won an award for Innovation and Collaboration from the McHenry County (of Illinois) Economic Development Corporation’s Business Accelerator Program.
Four centrally located stations equipped with solar powered kiosks will be placed in heavily trafficked areas of the Irvine campus. Students, faculty, and staff will be able to apply online for membership, after which time they will receive a bike lock and membership card that grants them electronic access to the program’s bicycles. The bikes themselves will be cruiser style and painted to reflect the school’s colors. We heartily applaud UC Irvine for its dedicated efforts to bring sustainable transportation practices to its campus, anxiously await ZotWheels’ release, and sincerely hope that other universities will follow in its footsteps! In the meantime, learn more about ZotWheels here.
Tags: City Ride, CityRide, Irvine, Portland, San Diego, San Francisco, University of California, ZotWheels
