If you’ve been on the UW-Stevens Point campus in the last couple months, it’s likely you’ve seen college students riding around on bright orange bikes. Ever wonder how you can ride one of these around town? Here’s how!
This past spring, UW-Stevens Point teamed up with a San Francisco-based company, Spin, to provide our campus with a bike sharing program. Once the free Spin app is downloaded from your phone’s app store, users may search for nearby bikes available to use. Since these bikes are fairly new to campus, many students are unaware of how to use them and how handy they can really be!
In the first two weeks Spin bikes were available, 479 UWSP students signed up with the bike sharing program, riding a total of 1,600 miles around the Stevens Point area! How cool is that? To ride, users pay 50 cents per 30 minutes. Spin bikes are easy to use and very cost effective for students.
Here are the steps for checking out one of these bikes…
1. Find a bike near your location by opening the Spin app and allowing your location to be accessed. Most bikes are located around residence halls, academic buildings and dining halls.
2. Once you have found a nearby bike, scan the QR code located on the back wheel of the bike. You will notice that after you have successfully scanned your bike, you will hear a click from the back wheel. Your Spin bike has just unlocked, allowing you to begin your ride.
3. Ride away! Enjoy the sights and scenes Stevens Point has to offer. The Spin program allows students to ride the bikes as far as they want, as long as they are returned back to campus by the end of the day. Ever had a fresh smoothie from Emy J’s? Bike to downtown Stevens Point and find out how thirst-quenching they can be after your ride!
4. To return your bike, park it at a nearby bike rack located on campus. Spin bikes should never be parked on sidewalks, or in front of an exit or entryway. Identify the locking mechanism near the back tire of your bike and slide it so the bike locks successfully. The lever is located on the lock under the seat. The Spin app on your phone will identify when your bike has been successfully locked.
That’s it! It’s a pretty simple process, but please keep the following in mind…
- Spin bikes must “live” on campus. While you may ride them off campus, you must return the bike to a bike rack on campus at the end of the day. Spin may charge account relocation fees for not following these rules.
- Just because you use a Spin bike to get from point A to point B, does not mean it will be there to return you to your starting location! For example, biking to class and parking your bike does not ensure that you will have that same bike for your ride home. In the same sense, users may not reserve bikes for an entire day, as the bikes are shared by all UWSP students.
- Don’t forget to lock your bike! Failure to do so will increase your charges and allow others to use your bike as you pay for it. Yikes!
- Wear a helmet. Be safe when using Spin bikes, and follow bike guidelines and signage established by the city of Stevens Point.
If a problem occurs while using the Spin bikes, contact customer support through the app, or email support@spin.com for additional help. When doing this, users will need to know the seven-digit bike code, clearly state what situation the bike is in, and explain what they would like assistance with. The Spin Customer Support Team is very responsive to emails, questions and assistance, so don’t hesitate to reach out!
The next time you’re running late to class (it happens) or wanting to bike to Carl D’s for some ice cream, consider taking a Spin bike to avoid the hassle of driving and to help reduce our carbon footprint.
