Bleeper Bikes, a dockless bike sharing service, has begun operations in UCD. They are currently available in several locations around UCD’s Belfield and Blackrock campuses, including near Centra, beside the Merville Residences.
Bleeper Bikes are deposited at public bike racks. To access them, a person can use the Bleeper Bikes app to find the location of a bike, then scan the QR code on the bike’s lock to release it. The Service has ‘Membership’ or ‘Pay as You Go’ rates. A three-month student membership is currently being offered to students for €20, instead of the normal €30 rate.
Hugh Cooney, CEO & Founder of Bleeper Bikes, told the Tribune that there are 40 bikes in Belfield, and a further 10 at the Blackrock campus. When asked about the uptake for the service so far, he explained that ‘they have only been on campus for a couple of weeks so it’s still early days but each week there has been a big increase in the number of students using them.’
There were over 100 reported bike thefts in UCD in 2016, an increase from 70 thefts in 2015. November is the month in which bikes are most likely to be stolen. There were 26 thefts in November 2016, which averaged just under one per day.
Cian Carton – Editor
