FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 20, 2019
Contact: Dane Eifling
Bicycle & Pedestrian Programs Coordinator
Engineering Division
479.575.8243
deifling@fayetteville-ar.gov
VeoRide Celebrates Successful First Year in Fayetteville with 100,000 Ride in Sight
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark.— The VeoRide Bike Share Program rolled out last year on September 19 in Fayetteville and on the University of Arkansas campus. The program launched as Arkansas’s largest bike share program with 290 pedal bikes and 50 e-bikes (electric assist). In February, VeoRide added 100 e-bikes to the fleet for a total of 440 bikes.
In the program's first year, more than 85,000 trips were taken by 8,705 VeoRide users. Data shows that more than 18,000 miles were ridden and VeoRide has received zero reports of injuries. The company started in 2017 at the Purdue University and now operates in 36 cities across the United States. The Fayetteville-UA program ranks number one in ridership of VeoRide’s mid-sized metro markets.
“We are very proud of the program’s success,” said Dane Eifling, Bicycle and Pedestrian Programs Coordinator for the City of Fayetteville and the University of Arkansas. “Every decision made with this program has been focused on maximizing ridership and increasing active transportation. We want to make sure the bikes are being used as much as possible every day.” Support from Experience Fayetteville, the City of Fayetteville, and the University of Arkansas have helped make an affordable bike share program for students, residents, and visitors. Additionally, VeoRide also given away 250 bike helmets in Fayetteville.
VeoRide adjusting its pedal bike fee structure from a set 15-minute fee to a 30-cent unlock fee plus 5-cents per minute use fee. E-bikes prices will remain the same at a $1 unlock fee plus 10 cents per minute use fee. Annual memberships are also available and allow users to take unlimited one-hour rides on pedal bikes. Annual memberships are priced at $70 for the public and $35 for UA and Fayetteville public school students.
Prior to launching in Fayetteville, VeoRide hired Fayettevillian Andrew Miles to work as the program’s general manager. His role at the growing micro-mobility company has since expanded to include southeast regional manager duties. “There has been tremendous enthusiasm shown for the bike sharing,” said Miles. “Northwest Arkansas’s existing active cyclist community combined with progressive infrastructure plans and civic engagement as led to rapid adoption of program here in the home of the Hogs.”
To celebrate the bike share program’s success, VeoRide has announced that they will give away a one-year pedal bike membership and $50 e-bike credit to the lucky person who takes ride number 100,000 in Fayetteville.
To learn more, visit www.veoride.com/fayetteville.
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