San Diego State University hosted its first-ever Bike to Campus Day to launch a partnership between the university and dockless bike rental provider Ofo.
About 100 dockless bikes will be available on campus to students, staff and faculty. Additionally, the company will offer a month of free rides for participants with an SDSU email using the promo code "sdsulaunch."
University officials said the bikes help the university "progress towards its Climate Action Plan goals set forth in 2017."
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Austin Marshburn, head of Ofo for Universities, said there’s already been a lot of interest in the bikes, as 300 people tried them out this morning.
“Campuses are really what dockless bikes are for,” he said.
Marshburn said riders will be encouraged to turn in the bikes at 30 designated racks spread over the campus to avoid them being left in random spots.
Charlotte Roberts, an SDSU sophomore who helped get Ofo bikes to the university through her work with Associated Students, feels San Diego State’s campus is especially conducive to biking.
“I think we need to get people more comfortable with riding bikes,” she said. “There’s a lot of surface area to cover. It makes your time more efficient here.”
Bike rental companies began operating in the city of San Diego earlier this year, and the large quantity of bikes in places like Little Italy sparked pushback. Community leaders in Little Italy say the bikes create a hazard for pedestrians.
Other neighborhoods including City Heights have embraced the dockless bike craze.
