First-year Pitt students will have free, unlimited 30-minute bike shares this academic year

Pittsburgh Bike Share, also called Healthy Ride, is starting a program this school year that will provide unlimited 30-minute rides to first-year Pitt students and resident assistants.

The pilot program is offered through Pitt’s Office of Sustainability and will run during the academic year 2019-2020 for Fall and Spring terms. This is the first program of its kind in Pittsburgh, according to a press release.

“We are excited to be the first university to partner with Healthy Ride to offer this benefit,” said Pitt’s Director of Sustainability Aurora Sharrard in press release. “Sustainability is an important part of our campus culture and this is an exciting way for our first-year students to begin their own Pitt sustainability journey.”

Pitt’s campus is currently home to bike lanes on Bigelow Boulevard, and Bayard and O’Hara streets. Protected bike lanes run on Schenley Drive and Forbes Avenue, which includes one of Pittsburgh’s only counter-flow bike lanes. Bikes lanes were also recently extended on Forbes all the way to Carnegie Mellon University and beyond. There is also easy access from Oakland to the Junction Hollow Trail, which provides a car-free path all the way to South Side and Downtown.

We're partnering with @SustainablePitt to provide unlimited 30-minute bike share trips for all first-year students and resident assistants at @PittTweet. This is the first partnership of its kind here in Pittsburgh and we're excited to launch this program this week! 🚲🌱 pic.twitter.com/Ih92WqNbOg

— HealthyRidePGH (@healthyridepgh) August 26, 2019

Pittsburgh Bike Share director David White says the proliferation of bike infrastructure on Pitt's campus makes it easier for students to travel within Oakland and also to visit other neighborhoods.

“There are a lot of places students can get in 30 minutes, and bikes are a great way to get to know a new city,” said White in a press release. “We are eager to see how students make the most of their Healthy Ride memberships and incorporate short bike trips into their transit routine.”

Pittsburgh Bike Share has been expanding across Pittsburgh, and there are currently 112 Healthy Ride stations and 650 bikes in more than 24 neighborhoods. According to a press release, Healthy Ride marked record ridership in 2019 and anticipates even more riders this year thanks to the Pitt pilot program.

To find out more about the program visit the Healthy Ride website or contact Pitt's Office of Sustainability.