It’s a new semester at Kent State and with that means new students and new bikes.

The new bikeshare system provided by VeoRide came to Kent in May but it’s drawing a lot of attention in the first weeks of school.

This is the city’s second bike sharing program to go into effect. Jim Bowling, deputy service director of engineering for the city of Kent, said the VeoRide bikes are not only better quality but there’s more quantity of bikes on campus. There are 100 pedal bikes, 68 electric bikes, 10 fat-tire bikes, and two ADA-compliant handicycles available for anyone to use.

A main feature of the new bikes is they’re dock-less, unlike the first version where users would have to place the bikes at a docking station. “Dock-less programs get more usage than docked programs because from the numerous times I’ve had public meetings with the cyclists and others, they all say the same thing. They want to park their bicycle outside of where they’re going, they don’t want to park it 3 blocks away and then walk,” Bowling said.

It’s 15 cents to ride for 15 minutes or users can pay for a $13.99-a-month membership plan.  

To rent a bike, download the VeoRide app and scan the QR code on the bike you choose to ride. At the end of your ride, park it in any of the designated parking locations within the app and push the lock on the bike to end the ride.  

For more information on VeoRide, visit www.veoride.com.