The Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) chose the city of Fullerton to take part in the Bike Share Station Pilot Program. The program will serve approximately two square miles, and plans to install 15 stations with 150 bicycles.

Robert Huskey / Daily Titan

According to Cal State Fullerton Transportation Programs analyst Benjamin Price, the stations will be electronically automated, allowing bicyclists to use an access card or code to unlock a bike at a station. Users would then ride to their destination and “turn in” the bike to a different station where it will be locked by the electronic system.

Price said various schools and commercial areas across Fullerton were selected as potential locations for the actual bike stations. CSUF was one of the potential locations chosen.

“It is estimated that the primary users will be students, faculty and staff of Fullerton schools, as well as workers of other employers in the city of Fullerton,” said Price.

Price said another small, but possible group of users might be local residents or even tourists.  This group of people might use a bike to travel from one part of Fullerton to the other. Users will have the option of taking a leisurely ride from a restaurant to a museum or theater.

Biological science major Vanessa Padilla, 19, said some students might be interested in a bike-sharing program, but she would not be interested due to past experiences.

“I’ve had accidents where I’ve crashed into a little girl, and I’ve crashed into walls and I’ve fallen over many times,” said Padilla. “I don’t really like bikes.”

Padilla said most CSUF students who want to ride a bike already own one, and a bike-sharing program would be more useful on a larger campus.

OCTA’s assistant marketing specialist Weston Parsel said anyone with a credit card is able to purchase a day pass, short-term pass or an annual membership. These memberships give users unlimited checkouts and rides under 30 minutes. If users go over 30 minutes, they will have to pay a user fee that steadily rises to encourage short trips and high bike turnover.

“If a student only took it for 30 minutes at a time, it’s possible to just pay the annual fee every year,” Parsel said. “The annual fee hasn’t been decided yet, but other bike-share vendors range from $50 to $100.”

OCTA’s budget for the bike-sharing program is $921,000. Policies for the bike program will be determined as the date approaches. As of now, the minimum age will be 18. According to Price, no new regulations will be put into place.

“With regards to cycling at CSUF in particular, the President’s Directive No. 16 quite extensively governs the use of alternative forms of transportation on campus, including bicycles,” Price said.

According to Parsel, once the test bike-sharing program is complete, OCTA can collect data on total ridership, establish infrastructure requirements and measure environmental benefits, which can help determine which other cities could benefit from a bike-share program.

“The bikes are easy to ride for all levels of bike experience and don’t require special bike clothing,” Parsel said. “