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Wellesley College is saying goodbye to pink and hello to green—at least when it comes to bikes. The College will launch a new bike share program on Wednesday, September 12, but the community is encouraged to sign up now.

"The idea for this program stemmed from the Outing Club's Revolution pink bike program," said Danielle Gaglini, Wellesley's sustainability coordinator. Under the old program, the Outing Club would take bikes that people no longer wanted and mark them with bright pink tape to identify them as bikes available for community use. The program, which Gaglini called "a great start for the concept of sustainable transportation on campus," was somewhat successful, but needed a facelift.

The students submitted a proposal to the Sustainable Advisory Committee and were awarded a grant from The Class of 1957 Green Fund to launch a new bike share. Together with the sustainability office, the students chose On Bike Share, a vendor that allows users to check out bikes in "four simple steps," namely, "Swipe Card. Get Key. Unlock Bike. Ride On."

The bikes will be housed in the parking garage near the Wellesley College Police Station, which is where they can be picked up and returned. There is no cost to borrow a bicycle from the bike share, but participants must fill out a release form and activate their OneCard at the police station. Once entered in the database, members of the community can take the bikes out for 24 hours at a time for use on and off campus.

The bike share bicycles offer the added advantage of requiring "a lot less maintenance," according to Patrick Willoughby, Wellesley's sustainability director. The bicycles used in the bike share differ from traditional cycles because they have an internal gear system and brakes. The program, which, according to Willoughby, is closely modeled after the Boston bike sharing program, will start with 15 bikes and expand in the future if the demand exists.

The full story can be read HERE.

Bristol, RI – February, 2012 – On Bike Share(OBS) has announced an affordable campus bike share system designed to make bicycling an integral part of college and corporate campus transportation. On Bike Share provides the flexibility to deploy a comprehensive solution, or to automate existing bike fleets. With OBS, campuses design and configure a system to meet their sustainability needs. The OBS system makes implementation, maintenance, and tracking fast and easy through a series of innovations designed specifically for campus environments.

“Campuses are always looking for ways to be more green,” said David Boyce, co-founder of On Bike Share. “The On Bike Share system delivers an alternative transportation solution in a safe and cost-effective way, while at the same time tracking how often the bikes are being used, and ensuring that the system remains in good working order.”

By using proven key locking technology, back-end software, and an innovative bicycle with chainless technology, OBS increases safety and reduces maintenance and costs. Registered users can remove the OBS chainless bike from the locking system using their existing ID card. The bike’s unique integrated lock offers riders the convenience of taking the bike where they need to go and the ability to lock it to any standard bike rack.

“On Bike Share bikes employ chainless technology from Dynamic Bicycles, and key locking innovation from Morse Watchmans to significantly reduce maintenance and safety issues,” said Boyce. “With over 90% of all bike maintenance costs attributed to chain and derailleur systems, our customers will benefit from the advantages that chainless bikes provide.”

On Bike Share’s “Campus Solutions” look to address many of the most difficult issues facing campuses today. OBS allows campuses to affordably reduce carbon emissions, parking spots, and provide sustainable transportation alternatives, while improving well-being and morale on campus.

On Bike Share will begin rolling out new systems in the US in Spring 2012.

About On Bike Share
On Bike Share was founded in 2012 with the intent of enhancing urban and campus living through simple and sustainable transportation solutions. On Bike Share delivers bike share services to college and corporate campuses who are looking for ways to have greener more cost effective campus environments. More information is available at www.onbikeshare.com.

MEDIA AND SALES CONTACTS:
David Boyce, On Bike Share, Ph: 401 254-6111
david@onbikeshare.com

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