Princeton University aims to build bicycle culture with more rentals

In March, 50 new 8-speed Breezer city bikes went in service on Princeton's campus available through Zagster.

PRINCETON -- A pilot bicycle rental program that started with 10 sets of wheels on Princeton University's campus has expanded to 60 bikes available at nine university locations, including the Forrestal campus in Plainsboro.

And the university said they are working with the town of Princeton to roll out bikes in the municipality as well.

Zagster bicycles on Princeton's campus. (Zagster photo) 

Late last month, 50 new 8-speed Breezer city bikes went in service on campus available through Zagster, the university said.

The price is the same: riders pay a one-time fee of $20 that allows bike rentals for up to two hours for free, with additional hours costing $2 per hour.

"We see this as building an overall bike culture," Kim Jackson, director of university transportation and parking services said in a statement.

"When people have options like this, it makes it easier to leave a car at home, which reduces congestion, pollution and emissions on and around campus and helps us meet the university's and community's sustainability goals," Jackson said.

The program launched in October 2014, just days after the new Dinky train station opened as part of the university's $330 million Arts and Transit project. The 10 bikes were available at the station.

The original 10 were a success, Jackson said.

Through December 2015, 140 Zagster members rented the bikes for a total of 731 trips. The university said renters used them primarily for weekend trips around town and on the nearby Delaware and Raritan Canal towpath.

In a statement, Jackson sais she reported to Princeton's town council in late March that the program had grown to more than 300 members and total rides exceeded 1,300.

The university said they are now working with the town of Princeton to expand it into municipal locations, which was an original goal of the program.

They will do so with a $192,000 federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement grant through the New Jersey Department of Transportation, the university said.

Princeton U. launches bike rental program

"This is a great program and I'm excited," Princeton Mayor Liz Lempert said in the statement.

"I see this as continuing to build and better our town-gown relations," Jackson said. 

The bikes are available through Zagster, a Cambridge, Mass. company, and their membership is good at any Zagster station in the Princeton system.

The company says some other bike-rental programs require riders to drop off bikes at designated stations for every stop during a reservation, but Zagster's Princeton program allower renters the freedom to ride as long as they want, wherever they want.

Said Zagster CEO Timothy Ericson, "We've really just scratched the surface of what's possible on campus and in the town."

The Zagster bikes are available at: Princeton Station (the Dinky), Firestone Library, Friend Center, Forbes College, Frist Campus Center, the Lakeside and Lawrence apartments, Alexander Hall and the Forrestal Campus in Plainsboro. All bikes have a lock and an attached basket.

Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@kevintshea. Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.