Lime arrives at Washington University

student riding bike
The Office of Sustainability at Washington University in St. Louis is partnering with the dockless bike share company Lime to provide a flexible, inexpensive and green way to get around campus. (Photo: Whitney Curtis/Washington University)

Construction on the east end of campus has made traveling from place to place a bit more difficult. However, Washington University in St. Louis is committed to offering a wide range of alternative transportation options to make it as easy as possible to get around. That’s why the university is now partnering with Lime, formerly known as LimeBike, to bring bike sharing to campus.

Lime, a dockless, GPS-based bike-sharing service, arrived in St. Louis in April. The bright green bikes have popped up around town here and in other cities across the country. Washington University was among key regional institutions and organizations involved in bringing the bike-share program to the city.

The Lime app is easy to use, making bike rental an easy and efficient way to get around campus.

As of Aug. 1, the university’s partnership with Lime further expanded options for traveling to and from campus. Lime will provide more than two dozen bikes daily to the Danforth Campus, with another seven each at North and West campuses, offering students, faculty and staff a flexible, inexpensive and green way to travel.

“The program fosters a culture of sharing, which diminishes the need to consume, and ultimately the amount of waste that we generate,” said Clara Steyer, coordinator in the university’s Office of Sustainability. “Many students who buy a bike in college leave it behind when they graduate. Unless retrieved by an organization, these bikes become trash feeding the landfill. Sharing a bike is an alternative to buying a new bike and an opportunity for incoming students to experience campus by bike without owning one.”

It’s easy to ride: Simply download the Lime app for iPhone or Android, then follow the prompts to locate, unlock and ride a bike. Go as far as you like, on or off campus. To end your ride, park at an on-campus bike rack and push the red button on the rear wheel to lock the bike. For safety’s sake, the bikes have front and rear lights that activate when you pedal. Wearing a helmet is always recommended.

On-campus bike sharing adds one more option to the alternative transportation mix to make getting to work, class or elsewhere — on campus and around the city — easier and greener.

Lime offers a 50 percent discount to anyone with a valid .edu email address, and the company also will offer drop-off and pickup of bikes — at no cost — for group rides.

For more information, visit the Office of Sustainability’s website.