The University of Massachusetts Bike Share Program officially kicked off this Monday, allowing students, staff and faculty to borrow a bike, helmet and lock with the swipe of a UCard.

Bike rentals are available at the Student Government Association office upstairs in the Student Union. A bike may be rented for 30 hours at a time.

The program which received support from the Student Government Association and the campus Sustainability Initiative is being coordinated by sophomore Cam Kakley, SGA secretary of sustainability, and senior Ben Johnson, who is a member of the EcoRep program.

“Our bikes are free to borrow, so students who may not have had a bike to bring to school can now use one at no cost, they can explore around the area off campus and just have fun on a sleek new machine,” Johnson said.

The program is a step towards making UMass a greener community and is the brainchild of former campus sustainability coordinator Josh Stoffel and two former SGA secretaries of sustainability Amber Hewett and Claire Hopkins.

The end stages of the project were carried out by new campus Sustainability Coordinator Ezra Small.

“The Bike Share program is huge for UMass Amherst,” said Small in a press release. “The university is dedicated to sustainability in every aspect, and the bike share program is just one example. The sustainability initiatives on campus here come from the students, and the energy and excitement of the students.”

The Bike Share program consists of 25 new one-speed bicycles and 10 refurbished bikes that were reclaimed from bikes that were abandoned on campus last year. The bikes are painted maroon and adorned with the UMass logo, making them recognizable.

The new bikes were manufactured at Worksman Cycles, a solar-powered bike shop that has been producing bikes for more than a century.

According to a press release, Johnson and Kackley hope to expand the program in the future by adding more loan kiosk locations throughout the campus and more bikes.

The program received $3,000 from the UMass Amherst Physical Plant, a $10,000 gift from the class of 2010 and funds from the Vice Chancellor according to a press release.

-Collegian News Staff