CapMetro has installed a BikeShare station on St. Edward’s University grounds. The new station is installed by the garage and is now fully operational and available to use. The station houses 23 e-assist bikes and possesses charging capabilities when docked at the station on campus.

The initial push for the system began with St. Edward’s arborist and sustainability coordinator Roy Johnson and transportation intern and class of 2025 alumnus Jackson Becker. The project started after surveys by Johnson and Becker found that there was a demand from students for access to bikes. Further research showed that the University of Texas and Huston-Tillloston University each had a BikeShare station by CapMetro. 

After support from Jim Morris, former associate vice president of operations and approval from the Office of the President, plans were set in motion to bring the station to campus. In preparation for the charging technology, St. Edward’s installed 300 feet of electrical conduit to bring the new technology to campus. 

Johnson also sees a possibility where the bikes are more efficient for students.

“You can put it on a bus and take the bus to the location you’re going to and you just suddenly become a lot more mobile and at a very low cost compared to Ubers,” Johnson said. 

There is a prospect that the bikes could even have a positive boost as Johnson explains, “And even if there are Ubers or friends with a car and alternatives on inclement weather days, I still think everyone can be happy that they’re getting healthier, getting some fresh air and offsetting all the carbon emissions.”

Jake Boone, a BikeShare station and facilities planner with CapMetro, acted as a representative between CapMetro and St. Edward’s University. Boone explained that college students make up the majority of their ridership.

“The students make up 70% of the ridership in the entire system, so it’s super popular with students.” Boone said. “We’re putting down stations here at St. Edward’s. We’re also working to put down stations at ACC, we just put one down at ACC Eastview, and then we’re putting down one at ACC Rio Grande, and then next year we’re hoping to put one down near ACC Riverside. So kind of covering all of the campuses within the central Austin area.” 

He also elaborated on the efficiency of the system adding, “The feedback that we get from them is they absolutely love the bike share stations because they live in tight spaces, they live in dorms, they have roommates, they don’t really have space to bring their bikes in. Even students who live off campus or in apartments tend to have small living spaces with roommates. So with this, you pay a set fee for a year, students actually get a 50% discount, annual memberships, and you let us take care of everything. You don’t have to worry about your bike being stolen, you don’t have to worry about the chain getting rusty. You don’t have to take in for maintenance, you don’t even have to change the flat tires yourself. We handle all of that. So I think it’s a really good deal.” 

Boone explained that an annual pass for St. Edward’s students would be $75 a year, and would include unlimited rides for the entire year.

Rides are capped at 30 minutes, once the limit is reached the bike must be docked at any CapMetro BikeShare station. If needed, riders are able to take out another bike for their ride.

Boone explained that the reasoning behind the time limit is to keep bikes in circulation across the city. 

All students would need to do in order to take a ride is to download the CapMetro BikeShare app, make sure that you are signed up with a plan and unlock a bike at any CapMetro BikeShare rack. To get a Student Annual Plan, students must sign up and provide proof of enrollment to receive a promotion code that will provide the half off discount. As always, users are encouraged to wear a helmet when using the bike.