Blue Ash is the latest Greater Cincinnati community to start a bike share program, which launches Wednesday afternoon with a ceremony at Summit Park.
Community Coordinator Breanna Gilroy says it's similar to, but not connected to, Cincinnati's Red Bike.
"We're working with a company called Zagster that is a very well known bike share company across the nation," she says. Zagster states it has bikes in more than 200 communities and neighborhoods nationwide, including Indianapolis and the Ohio State University.
"They are setting up their own stations. Essentially, we are starting from scratch, but this will be something specific to Blue Ash, to our residents, to our visitors and to our corporate citizens," Gilroy says.
There will be eight stations around Blue Ash where riders can pick up or leave a bike. A half-hour rental costs a dollar, and the rentals are handled through an app. There also are longer-term membership options available.
"This isn't something that we're doing to make money or to gain revenue on," Gilroy says. "We're just trying to offer people an easier way to get around town. We're expecting it to be very popular. We've had a very positive response so far after we made the announcement so we're going to keep a close eye on the numbers and we're looking forward to seeing what it does."
