UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State Transportation Services is partnering with the Borough of State College and Spin, a San Francisco-based micromobility unit of Ford Motor Co., to offer the Penn State and State College communities a new bike-share program.
Spin's electric-assist bikes will become available on Monday, Aug. 16, starting with a fleet of 75 e-bikes. There is a phased plan to gradually increase the fleet to 300 e-bikes by October.
"We're excited to serve the expansive Penn State campus community and to bring the latest in e-bike technology to students, a transportation amenity we know they will love," said John Lankford, head of campus partnerships for Spin. "We feel Spin's e-bike program will be a natural and complementary fit to existing public transit, giving students, residents and visitors a safe and sustainable option to get around."
E-bike deployment and parking locations will be established on the University Park campus and in the surrounding State College Borough to offer both Penn State and community members convenient access to the bikes. Users will be able to see all e-bike locations in the Spin app, as well as service areas, no-ride zones, and the locations of preferred parking spots on campus and in the borough. Spin e-bikes will have a maximum electric-assist speed of 15 miles per hour and will be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Standard rates for renting a Spin e-bike will be $1 to unlock a bike and 25 cents per minute to ride. To celebrate the launch of Spin, however, unlock fees will be waived through the end of September. At that time, Spin users can continue to have bike unlock fees waived by signing up for a Spin membership for just $6.99 per month. The 25 cents per minute rental rate will still apply for all users.
Earlier this year, the Penn State University Park campus was awarded the gold Bicycle Friendly University designation by the League of American Bicyclists for achievements in establishing and promoting safe, accessible biking on campus. Cecily Zhu, sustainable transportation program coordinator for Penn State Transportation Services, said that the addition of Spin will build upon this achievement by making biking more accessible to more people.
"Our partnership with Spin will expand our ability to provide Penn State students, employees and our community with a more accessible and sustainable transportation option both on and off campus," Zhu said.
For the Borough of State College, already known for its expansive bike network and support for biking, the Spin E-Bike Bike Share program ties directly into its strategic goal to be a planned and socially sustainable community. Borough leadership hopes that all residents take advantage of the affordable mode of transportation provided by the program.
"We're very excited to see the first bikes arrive in our community and to see residents getting around the community using our bike system," said Jasmine Fields, State College Borough's sustainability program officer. "This program will help improve the way people traverse in State College and will help us reach our bicycle friendly community and climate action goals."
Spin e-bike users must be at least 18 years old to ride, and Penn State and Spin encourage individuals to wear a helmet while riding. Users also must obey local traffic laws and Penn State rules and regulations for biking on campus.
For more information, download the Spin app or visit the Spin page at the Penn State Transportation Services website.