By Contributing Writer Caroline Quirk
Umass Dartmouth’s 3 month trial experiment with the VeoRide bike share program has made a significant impact on the health of both the campus environment and the health of the community. VeoRide is a brand new corporation, since its launch in April 2018, it has grown into a successful alternative form of transportation in communities and campuses all over the US.
We received 110 bikes at the start of the program and have since obtained even more due to the high demand on campus. Additionally, 100 bike racks were installed and conveniently located outside the doors and entrances to various buildings and residence halls.
In the Umass Dartmouth community alone, there have been 16,992 rides, resulting in a total of 5,113 miles since it’s launch on campus.
Furthermore, the use of bikes on campus instead of cars on and around campus have decreased carbon emissions by 2.57 tons. Meaning, even something seemingly insignificant such as riding the bike to the gym instead of driving makes a significant impact on the environment, not to mention your health.
The bike share program also has a huge wellness component. The community has burned a total of 281,885 calories from riding the bikes, keep in mind that is over 262 riders.
This is extremely beneficial in the long haul of the health of college campuses in America. Having the bikes on campus is also just a convenience that we didn’t know we needed.
Jose Pineda, a Psychology major of the class of 2022, speaks highly of having access to the VeoRide bikes “It’s clutch because that meant I didn’t have to waste my money buying a bike for campus.” The program has saved the students of Umass Dartmouth lots of money, not only from buying their own bicycle, but because it only costs $.50 to ride for up to 15 minutes, pretty much anywhere on campus, which is comparably cheap compared to gas and/or public transportation.
Parking is crucial to the care and maintenance of the bikes. Using the bike racks or parking outside the doors of the library or residence halls is a big way to keep the bikes in full swing. The community otherwise seems to truly appreciate and respect the system, especially after not having any other form of transportation but driving and walking.
Linda Jackson, the Communications Director at VeoRide, when asked about VeoRide at Umass Dartmouth said “We are really proud to partner with the Umass Dartmouth community and hope they embrace it and find it very valuable.”
Needless to say the community of Umass Dartmouth does embrace the bike share. In fact, VeoRide has truly impacted life on campus for the better. The convenience, wellness, environmental impact, and overall enjoyment has benefitted every student who has downloaded the app and actively uses it.
Each time a bike is unlocked a little more carbon is prevented from being released into our atmosphere, which is a beautiful thing. The little teal bikes have taken over Umass Dartmouth, and proudly so.