Lucia Pohlman '15 and Ziad Al-Shamsie '15 decided to start the program during the summer, after they noticed the large number of abandoned bikes on campus.
The pair designed a rental program and worked with sustainability project manager Jenna Musco to implement it.
"My goal would be for freshman to think I don't need to buy a bike, I'm going to rent a bike for the terms I need a bike,'" Pohlman said. "I think it's practical for the student because you don't have to handle a bike. You're not responsible for owning a bike throughout your entire career when you're off and on."
Because of the D-Plan and shifts in housing, students often leave bikes around the campus instead of properly storing them during off-terms, Pohlman said.
Dartmouth Bikes will tag potentially abandoned bicycles with a note and seize them if they are not claimed by the end of the term, which is allowed under Dartmouth Policy. The program will repair abandoned bikes as needed, using funds from the Sustainability Office. Pohlman hopes to have 10 to 20 more bicycles available for rental by winter term.
Dartmouth Bikes' bicycles will be easily identified by bright yellow handlebars and will also come equipped with complimentary locks.
The low maintenance and low cost of the program should appeal to students, Pohlman said. Students who rent through Dartmouth Bikes do not have to pay to put their bicycles in Controlled Storage when they are off campus.
Unlike bike-sharing programs in large cities and other higher education institutions that use a pay-by-the-hour system, the program will require only one payment per term. Dartmouth Bikes will issue a $300 fine to students who fail to return bicycles.
The program is an eco-friendly alternative to students who do not want to buy cheap bicycles that may break after a few rides, Pohlman said. By encouraging new and returning students to reuse bicycles, Dartmouth Bikes aims to cut down on waste at the College.
While Pohlman and Al-Shamsie are operating Dartmouth Bikes entirely out of the Fahey-McLane residential cluster, they plan on expanding the program with Musco's support, they said. They are currently assessing students' desire for such a program and hold several bicycles in storage that could be added to the rental collection in the future.
Pohlman said she anticipates that the rental program will easy to operate.
"Hopefully, people return their bikes in nice condition, and we don't have to replace 10 bikes," Pohlman said.
Skye Herrick '17 said that the program could appeal to students who want bicycles on campus but do not want to ruin an expensive one.
"Sounds like a good idea considering so many people went to the sustainability sale looking for bikes," she said. "A lot of people don't want to bring their own nice bike to campus."
