The University of Virginia is seeking $500,000 from the Virginia Department of Transportation to launch its own UBikes chapter, part of the nation’s largest bicycle sharing program.
If the program gets rolling, students would pay into the program and enjoy access to over 100 bikes at 13 stations around UVA. Scanning their student ID at a station, they would be able to unlock and ride a bike to their destination, then return it to a nearby UBikes station upon arrival. The university estimates that each bike would be used three to five times per day, according to NBC29.
UVA received a $35,000 grant last year from the Commonwealth Transportation Board in order to assess the scope of the UBikes project, including the station locations and safety concerns for bikers and pedestrians.
The program is similar to Charlottesville’s 2005 Yellow Bike program, which failed because many of the bicycles were quickly stolen or damaged. However, keeping track of users and property would be easier now thanks to advances in technology.
If VDOT awards the approximately $500,000 grant to UVA, students can expect to see UBikes on the roads by spring of 2013.
Of course, biking around Charlottesville can be a complicated feat. Read more of C-VILLE’s bicycle coverage here.