Greenville B-Cycle and Greenlink recently announced that they are teaming up during the month of October to offer residents, students and downtown workers a way to tackle what is often referred to as the “last mile issue” in public transportation.
A bus stop may be as far as a mile away from someone’s final destination, so many bus riders must rely on active transportation to get there, said Greg Baney, Greenlink manager of administration.
Greenlink buses are equipped to carry personal bikes, but not everyone has one or wants to bring it to work each day. Since its March launch, Greenville B-cycle has offered a network of six bike stations and 28 publicly accessible bikes in and around downtown.
As a result of the partnership, the Fare-Free October initiative will allow any Greenville B-cycle annual member to show his Greenville B-cycle card to Greenlink bus drivers in exchange for free rides on Greenlink buses as an extra incentive for bus riders to give Greenville B-cycles a try.
“Our hope is that people will realize just how easy it is to use public bus service in tandem with active transportation to meet their daily transportation needs,” says Lisa Hallo, Greenville B-cycle program director. “For instance, a student traveling downtown from Clemson University or CU-ICAR may be hesitant to use public transportation if they don’t have good travel options once they reach downtown. Greenville B-cycle expands those options.”
Greenville B-cycle has stations at the Transit Center, County Square, City Hall, the Sterling Community Center and the corners of Rhett and River streets and College and North Main streets.
Rides shorter than 60 minutes are free for program members, and annual passes are available for $60. City of Greenville and Greenville County staff members are eligible for $45 annual passes, and college students and faculty can obtain annual passes for just $30. Discount rates are also available for low-income members.
For more information, visit greenvillebcycle.com or contact Lisa Hallo.
