Bikes and electric Lime scooters have returned to campus in anticipation of warmer weather.
Lime scooters were launched on campus in fall 2018. The program was so successful that the number of electric scooters was doubled, to 250, within two months of the startup.
Tia Harris, a freshman majoring in forensic psychology, rode a Lime scooter last week on Centennial Mall.
“These are great transportation options that enable all members of campus to travel from one corner of the University to another,” said Bonnie Murphy, associate vice president for auxiliary services. “In addition to shuttle services provided by TARTA, we’re proud to offer options that are green and support an exceptional student experience.”
Users can locate scooters in real time, and unlock and lock them by downloading the free Lime app to their mobile devices. The cost is one dollar to unlock a scooter, plus 15 cents per minute of use.
“The immediate popularity of Lime scooters among both students and staff demonstrated strong support of alternative transportation modes, which is fantastic,” said Sherri Kaspar, director for parking and transportation services. “With even more bikes and scooters on campus this spring, though, we need to remind everyone to practice safety guidelines at all times.”
Users are encouraged to wear helmets and should avoid leaving scooters and bikes near doorways, which prevents accessibility. Bikes and scooters should be left in an upright position and in a manner that would not cause trips and falls, or impede foot traffic.
Parking and Transportation Services also is excited to unveil the updated Rocket Wheels fleet. The program is currently made up of 40 regular bikes and will expand to approximately 60 bikes before the end of the year.
Thanks to a partnership with Walmart, Rocket Wheels will keep rolling — and add specialty bicycles to its fleet. Celebrating the partnership were, from, left, Sherri Kaspar, director of parking and transportation services; Dexter Emch, operations administrator with Parking Services; Jeffrey Gerber, assistant store manager at Walmart; Mike Crawford, bike assembler at Walmart; Brandilynn Harvey, store manager at Walmar; and Joshua Galati, assistant store manager at Walmart.
In addition to 10 regular bikes being added to the fleet this spring, Parking and Transportation Services plans to expand the fleet to include additional regular, tricycle, tandem and hand-pedal bikes this year. The expansion of specialty bikes will accommodate persons with disabilities.
“We are very excited for the opportunity to partner with our Toledo community,” said Jeffrey Gerber, Walmart assistant store manager. “Once we learned of the University’s goal to not only add new bikes, but also to introduce bikes that will accommodate persons with disabilities, we knew we wanted to help.”
Bikes may be checked out with a Rocket card, and should be returned to corrals located outside the west parking ramp, by Rocket Hall near the horse sculptures, next to Ritter Planetarium, and by the North Engineering Building and Palmer Hall.
For more information about Rocket Wheels, review safety guidelines and register for the program, visit the Rocket Wheels website.
A complete list of safety rules and regulations for scooters may be viewed at the electric scooter website, where the free Lime app and much more information is available.
All UToledo transportation information, including TARTA bus service schedules, is available on the Parking and Transportation Services’ website, and related questions may be sent to parking@utoledo.edu.
