Bike-sharing program coming to University of Windsor

Cycling advocates at the University of Windsor are hammering out the final details for a bike-sharing program designed to link the west-end campus with the downtown.

The school's student union expects to have a network of 40 bikes and three docking stations available as early as mid-March, according to Chris Owen, president of the university's Cyclists Association.

The pilot project has been in the making for two years, said Owen, who outlined details about how the programwill work just days after acity councillor expressed interest in having a similar service rolled out across the city.

• City considers bringing bike-share program to Windsor

If this pilot project on campus works, the University of Windsor Student's Association "would be able to work with the city to implement it across the city," Owen told CBC News.

Like Coun. Paul Borrelli, who asked city staff to come up with the best way to bring a bike-sharing program to Windsor, the studentunion loosely based its project on similar programs in Hamilton and Toronto.

There will be no costs in the first year. Students and faculty just have to sign up to become members. Whenever a member wants a bike, they simply submit a request in order to get a unique code that unlocks the bikes.

Members then have the bike for about an hour. They can use it to run errands or whatever else they want, but minimal fees will likely be issued for anyone exceeding that first free hour, according to Owen.

No set amount has been determined for the fee at this time.But, most people would likely have it back within the allotted time because the main purpose is to provide a connection between themain campus and the downtown.

"Students who don't have any mode of transportation will have access to downtown," Owen said.