The VeoRide bike share program at Texas A&M has implemented new rules for the upcoming semester to ensure a cleaner and safer campus.
Effective immediately, riders must lock VeoRide bikes to a rack after use. The company revised the geofence where riders may travel to only include campus, Park West and University Gardens. Violations of these rules will result in fines up to $75 and an account suspension for the rider, which prohibits the rider from utilizing the bike share program on campus for an extended period. By the start of the semester, an estimated 1,500 VeoRide bikes will be on campus, with more to be added following updates and new regulations.
While parameter extensions cannot be guaranteed because some apartment complexes lack enough bike racks, students should reach out to their property manager and have them set up a meeting with VeoRide by emailing [email protected].
VeoRide Regional Manager Joe Brummer, Class of 1989, said these new rules will help keep the campus clean. VeoRide is considering implementing new transportation options at A&M, such as scooters, if riders follow and respect the new rules, according to Brummer.
“We have the goal of bringing sit-down scooters and stand-up scooters, but we aren’t going to do that until [students] take care of the property that we have,” Brummer said. “One thing that students can do is treat the bikes like they would treat their own private bike and use the program as intended.”
Political science junior Nicholas Shoumaker said he rides his personal bike on campus and is worried about parking availability.
“VeoRide is a good system, but they take up a lot of rack space, which makes parking my bike difficult,” said Shoumaker. “I understand the need for bike share, but hope the university will respond with more parking spaces.”
Transportation Services already considered Shoumaker’s concerns. A&M Bike Share Coordinator Byron Prestridge said they added 500 parking spots for both personal and VeoRide bikes, and more spots will be added during the spring semester.
“Bike share actually helps create more bike parking,” said Prestridge. “If all the people who use VeoRides were to bring their own bikes on campus, rather than using bike share, we’d be well over 2,000 bikes on campus, and that would be a big parking problem.”
For more information on the VeoRide bike share program and its updated rules at A&M, visit transport.tamu.edu/bikeshare.