GoLehigh BikeShare program launched after delay

Transportation and Parking Services announced the launch of the GoLehigh BikeShare program in an email to the community after months of delays.

“Our fleet of 30 bikes are available for students, staff, faculty, and guests. The bikes were assembled and will be maintained by, Cutters Bike Shop, a family-owned bike shop located in historic Southside Bethlehem,” Transportation and Parking Services wrote in the email.

Bikes can be rented on level 1 of the Alumni Building Parking Pavilion, level 2 of the Farrington Square parking garage and level 1 of the Zoellner parking garage.

Bike rental stations in the Farrington, Zoellner and Alumni parking garages remained empty until Oct. 10, though the program was planned to begin service on Aug. 7.

The program was initiated to replace the Zagster bike share program, which was available in Farrington Square until 2020 when Zagster stopped its operations.

Brett Johnson, the manager of parking services, took over the project in Spring 2022. 

Johnson said the bikes and equipment Lehigh was planning to use had been decided upon, but the legalities and decisions regarding the operation and maintenance of the program were still largely undefined.

During initial testing, the bikes seemed to work well until Johnson discovered the bike cable locks that immobilize the rear wheel did not function properly during the final review stages.

“That’s when we had to go back to Movatic, who provided us with the cables,” Johnson said. “Luckily they were very good at helping us correct that.” 

According to Auxiliary Services, Movatic is an open-software platform designed to support bike share programs and is responsible for the organization and management of bike rental sessions. It provided Lehigh with new cables, but the bikes and the rental system remained in testing longer than anticipated. 

To use the bikes, users must download the Movatic app and scan the QR code on the bike to unlock it and begin the rental session. The first hour is free and any time after is charged at $1/hour. Memberships cost $25 per semester and are available through Movatic.

“That’s way cheaper than the bikes that you would use in the city,” Kevin Cao, ‘26, said. “If I didn’t (already) have an e-bike, I probably would buy the $25 membership.”

Johnson said Cutters Bike Shop, a family-owned business on East Third Street on the South Side bought and outfitted 30 bikes. 

He said Lehigh wanted to establish a program that could integrate the expertise of a local business with some greater freedom in choosing the bikes available to rent. 

“They were able to specifically point out a bike brand for us and the type of tires and gears that would be best for use on our campus,” Johnson said.

Riding the bikes between campuses on Mountain Drive will be prohibited, but Johnson said he envisions students, faculty and staff primarily using the bikes for east-to-west travel on the Asa Packer campus or to travel around the South Side.

The bikes will be available for rent from any of the three parking garages, and Johnson said riders will be required to return the bikes to the garage they rented from to ensure each rack is adequately stocked.

“It also helps in being able to do any servicing as well because we know which bikes belong to which garages, so that helps us know where to find them a lot easier and faster,” Johnson said.

Blaise Richburg, ‘26, said he thinks the rental and return process might make the adoption of the program more difficult, and the location of the rental stations bothers him.

He also said the bike rental process might end up being a hassle for students, who already have a number of easier transportation options. 

“All of the bike stations are in the backs of the garages, which makes them a little hard to find, and you have to walk through a garage to get to them,” Richburg said. “I understand why they’re sheltered in the garages, but if they were moved more toward the front where they’d be more visible, that would help with the use of them.”

He said this might end up being a small problem and could see a number of students using the service, especially considering the affordability of renting a bike. 

Cao said he rides his bike to a boxing gym, and he has no alternate way to get there. 

“I think a lot of people probably have a somewhat similar problem,” Cao said. “A problem that this program could solve.”