For Immediate Release

Irvine, CA – October 9, 2009

A Cutting Edge Bike Share Program Coming to a Campus Near You

The University of California, Irvine officially launched its innovative new bike share program – named Zotwheels – on Friday, October 9.  The cutting edge transportation program is only the second of its kind at an American university, and is modeled after similar programs in Paris and Barcelona.

Using a membership card, students and faculty may check out a bike at any of four automated bike stations located throughout campus.  They receive a text message notification and can then return the bike to any of the stations after their ride.  Zotwheels thus accommodates both round trips and one way trips. 

The goal is for students to leave their cars behind and commute in a sustainable, healthy, and fun way.  Every mile traveled on a Zotwheels bike saves a pound of CO2 emissions from the atmosphere.  In total, ZotWheels is expected to save between 20 and 40 metric tons of CO2 emissions per year.  Studies have also shown that just 3 hours of bicycling a week can reduce the risk of stroke and heart disease by 50 percent.

The program was developed as a partnership between the UC Irvine Parking and Transportation Services and The Collegiate Bicycle Company (CBC) of San Diego, CA.  It overcomes the failure of past bike share programs by assigning accountability to the user when they check out a bike. 

The bike stations, which The Collegiate Bicycle Company call Ecotrip, include automated locking devices, tracking software, wireless communication, and the ability to read university ID cards.  They also include custom designed college bicycles complete with official school artwork and colors.

The Collegiate Bicycle Company aims to bring the program to campuses throughout California, and eventually nationwide.

“Single occupancy car trips less than five miles in length account for 62% of our daily trips in the United States,” said CBC Vice President Erik Camp.  “College campuses are the biggest culprit yet present the greatest opportunity to change this wasteful habit.  Ecotrip bike stations provide on-demand bikes that supply students with a fun and convenient alternative to their cars.”

CBC hopes that Zotwheels will inspire students and administrators to implement similar programs at their campus.  For more information about Zotwheels and The Collegiate Bicycle Company, visit www.CollegeBikeShare.com, or contact CBC at 858-272-2476.

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The Collegiate Bicycle Company, headquartered in San Diego, California, is a bicycle design and consulting company specializing in sustainable transportation solutions for colleges and universities.  Founded in 2007, CBC provides a variety of bicycle related services to universities, including custom designed bikes, consulting services, low-tech bike share programs, and their automated bike share stations, Ecotrip.  CBC’s goal is to provide a healthy, sustainable, and enjoyable means of transportation specifically tailored to each college and university community.  CBC has recently helped launch bicycle programs at Mississippi State University, Franklin and Marshall University, the University of Utah, and the New York Institute of Technology.