Bike Share returns to campus following five-month winter hiatus

By Mariah Wilson, March 21 2017 —

After enduring five months of snowy weather, the University of Calgary Bike Share program is ready to restart operations on March 27.

During their first year of existence, the Bike Share hosted over 15 events including organized rides, speaker series and public outreach events. In the past few months, the organization has focused on promoting winter cycling in Calgary.

U of C Bike Share president Niko Casuncad believes it is important to create a strong cycling community alongside the service of a bike share program.

Casuncad says winter cycling is gaining popularity in Canada — especially in Calgary — due to the release of the winter cycling documentary Bicicles and the year-round bicycle infrastructure across the city.

“2017 has been a fantastic year for the cycling community in Calgary,” Casuncad said. “For example, the downtown cycle track network became permanent with plans for expansion [and] Calgary won the winter cycling excellence award.”

Future plans for the organization include investment into an automated system, collaboration with more clubs at the U of C and increasing the number of bikes in their fleet.

Casuncad is looking forward to increased bike rental usage and providing more education and resources for students, staff and faculty.

“[We’re always striving] to provide affordable bike rentals and education [while] raising awareness of cycling and alternative modes of transportation in our city,” Casuncad said.

The club is currently seeking volunteers for tasks ranging from helping with rental operations to acting as cycling ambassadors in the community. The program is completely volunteer-driven.

“We couldn’t have reached where we are today without our dedicated and devoted volunteers who volunteered over 300 hours during the first six months,” Casuncad said.

Any student, faculty or visitor can rent a bike for either one week ($10) or two days ($5) after purchasing a membership. The club is currently located in the SU club space and operates from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

You can email the Bike Share program at uofcbikeshare@gmail.com or like them on Facebook for updates.