BIXI for OXY?

The students on the Alternative Transportation Team have begun to realize the multitude of issues that must be addressed in creating a Bike Share program at Oxy. The many types of programs already in place at other institutions and cities combined with the various possibilities here at Oxy create an overwhelming sensation in and of itself. Where to begin? What approach to use? Two major proposals have already been rejected at Oxy in recent years. One proposed, for-profit proposal was too over-the-top, asking the school to purchase expensive bikes and to build a storage structure behind the Johnson Student Center. It seemed promising but was rejected because of fire code violations regarding the storage structure and the lack of funding to make the project feasible. Meanwhile, the other proposal did not provide enough promise for feasibility and wouldn’t have met Oxy’s safety requirements. Our goal must be to find the middle ground.

Oxy’s Director of Risk Management, Rebecca Dowling, is a crucial authority on the judgment of proposal feasibility. She has seen great ideas created and then rejected because underlying assumptions did not take critical liability issues into consideration. In a recent meeting with her, Mrs. Dowling told Alternative Transportation team members that she is ready to help the project by leading it in the right direction. Her support is a great tool and she said she would be willing to meet regularly. She mentioned that recent projects had also been unable to be finished due to student leaders graduating. It is essential that students realize how much time a project will take and that younger students must get involved to see a project through and be able to see the benefits.

Browsing the internet for other bike rental programs around the world, I found an interesting for-profit bike rental system in Montreal. The company, BIXI, has many “stations” throughout the city where bikes can be rented out on an hour basis. This got me thinking of why we couldn’t just contract the job of implementing a bike share program out to a company that already knows and uses an effective method. Isn’t that what we’re planning to do with Zipcar? I know it sounds lame and lazy, but if it works, why not? Instead of having students pay with a credit card, have ID cards work with the pay station and give each student a certain limited amount of credit each semester so the system isn’t abused. The school could absorb the costs and use the successful, sharp-looking, and progressive system to promote good PR to prospective students. And perhaps help the school with our sustainability grade failures…

Here’s the BIXI site: http://montreal.bixi.com/home/home-explanation

And here are some pictures of “stations” in Montreal. The company is in the process of expanding to Boston and London. Why couldn’t the model be adapted to a college campus?