Two Kent State University students discuss while parking
their Flashfleet bikes in downtown Kent. Flashfleet, is Kent
State's technology-based, bike-rental program.

Kent State University’s bike-rental program, Flashfleet, will debut its third-generation, technology-based bike-share program on Sept. 11. The custom Flashfleet bikes will be provided by Nextbike, a company that develops and operates bike-sharing systems.

“Flashfleet meets the needs of so many different types of people; everyone from students to staff to visitors on our campus can enjoy these bikes,” says Abby Millsaps, marketing coordinator for Kent State’s Department of Recreational Services. “The new bikes are extremely durable and feature lights, a basket and a bell. They also include an on-board computer that makes renting a cinch.”

The new program offers an electronic rental process so users can rent a bike using the Nextbike app on their cell phones or an on-board computer at one of the rental kiosks. Users can then return the bike to any of the eight kiosk locations throughout campus and downtown Kent. Two of the stations, located at the Kent Student Center and PARTA's Kent Central Gateway Multimodal Transit Center in downtown Kent, feature larger kiosks. Smaller stations also are available at the Student Recreation and Wellness Center, Eastway Center, Van Campen Hall, Tri-Towers, Terrace Hall and Stopher-Johnson.

Users also can register for the bike-sharing program’s annual membership that allows them up to three hours of use every day. The yearly membership will cost faculty and staff $35, students $25 and non-Kent State community members $45. A pay-as-you-go method also is available for those who do not want to commit to a yearly membership.

Kent State University students study a
map of downtown Kent while riding their
Flashfleet bikes.

“By offering a bike rental program, we are furthering Kent State University’s initiative as a bike-friendly campus,” Millsaps says. “Biking is a great transportation option that’s also sustainable and rooted in wellness.”

To welcome the new bikes to campus, the Department of Recreational Services will host a ribbon-cutting celebration on Sept. 11 outside the PARTA's Kent Central Gateway Multimodal Transit Center in downtown Kent. There, representatives from Kent State and the city of Kent will share brief remarks about the new program.

After the ribbon cutting, participants can ride the new bikes along the Lefton Esplanade to Risman Plaza, where the celebration will continue at the Black Squirrel Festival. The event is open to the public, and light refreshments will be provided.

The Flashfleet program is offered by the Department of Recreational Services with support from several Kent State organizations, including Undergraduate Student Government and the Office of Sustainability.

For more information about Flashfleet, visit www.kent.edu/recservices/flashfleet.

For more information about the 2015 Black Squirrel Festival, visit www.kent.edu/csi/black-squirrel-festival-0.