SGA to offer bike rental as early as fall 2010
A bike rental program is coming to Central Michigan University courtesy of the Student Government Association’s Legislative Affairs Committee.
The committee is in the beginning stages of a program that would make bicycles available at a ratio proportional to the student population, said committee chairwoman Colleen McNeely.
The Brighton freshman started the program to assist students who are victims of bike theft or cannot afford to own a bike.
“There are around 30 bikes available to us through the Mount Pleasant Bike Co-op,” McNeely said. “We are hoping to use those bikes, along with others that may be donated to us by the police department, to start up the program.”
Along with those bikes, McNeely said the committee would look into purchasing a larger amount of bikes to use for the program.
The bikes would be available to the student body free of charge.
“We do not intend to have a rental fee, but a late return and damage fee would be in place,” McNeely said. “The only requirement would be CMU student status and a campus ID. This would be a critical part of the program because swiping the ID would ensure student accountability, as late fees and/or damage fees could then be applied to the student account.”
Students are allowed to the use a bike for a specified number of days, probably around three days, McNeely said. The late fee is around $3 to $5 each day.
Possibly fall 2010
To rent a bike, students would go to a designated check-out desk, which has not been established yet, but would be somewhere such as the Charles V. Park Library, where desk receptionists could help with the process, McNeely said. After filling out the proper form, students are given a key to a specific bike.
Though no timetable has been set to begin the program, McNeely would like to begin as soon as possible. She estimated the fall 2010 semester as the earliest it could begin.
SGA hopes the program could create a sustainable, healthy and dependable method of transportation for students at no cost.
“This is another one of those things that goes toward our goal of making things better for the students we represent,” said SGA President and Mount Pleasant senior Jason Nichol. “They’re doing a great job planning this program and I’m confident it will be successful.”
In addition to those goals, McNeely said the program could reduce the use of motor vehicles on campus.
“It would be a very innovative action on the behalf of the Student Government Association, and would distinguish CMU from other universities for prospective students,” she said.
