Bikeshare
150 LouVelo Bikes Donated to UofL Bikeshare! (8/29/24)
2024 Bike Mechanic Interns:
Blair Pickle (859-868-7523)
Sam Shaw (270-875-1212)
Recycle a Bicycle!
The UofL Sustainability Council invests in restoring and maintaining bicycles that have been abandoned on campus so that you can use them to get around for free! UofL's Free Bikeshare Program is designed to help you ditch the car or the fossil-fuel powered electric scooter and discover the joys and health benefits of getting around under your own power! The program is open to all UofL students, faculty, and staff. Bikes are available whenever you need them and for whatever purpose, whether it's getting across campus, across town, or just out for some fun!
Free Daily Bike Check-out at the SRC
Use your UofL ID to check out a bike, lock, and helmet for free for the day! Some bikes have baskets for carrying items. Bikes are available each day on a first-come, first-served basis from the front desk staff at the Student Rec Center on 4th Street. Bikes must be returned before the SRC closes for the day.
Longer-Term Bike Loan
A limited number of restored bicycles are also available to students, faculty, and staff who wish to borrow a bike and lock for the semester (or longer, if your are an employee that would like to use a bicycle instead of a motorized vehicle to do your job done on campus). Apply below.
In all cases, whether you are checking out a bike for the day or longer, you must sign a waiver form and those who check out bikes are responsible for any theft/loss/damage, so be sure to use the u-lock to securely lock the bike (frame and wheel!) any time you park it.
If you notice maintenance needs on a UofL bikeshare bike or fixit station, or if you'd like to donate a bike to the program, please contact our Bike Mechanic Interns.
Where to Check-Out, Fix-up, and Park Bikes
View an interactive Bike Map for all three UofL campuses showing where to find bike parking, fix-it stations, and bikeshare check-out locations! Here's what you'll see:
- RED icons = COVERED bike parking.
- BLUE icons = exposed bike parking.
- YELLOW Wrench icons = Bike Fix-It stations with tools and pump.
- GREEN Bike icons = Bike-Share locations from which bikes can be checked-out free for the day with UofL ID.
Avoid Traffic! Map A Safe, Comfortable Route
Explore bike routes & all your other options when biking won't work at directions.louisville.edu
- Find bike lanes, paths, and safer routes throughout Louisville with the new mobile-friendly Louisville Bike Map. It’s designed to be easy to use while you’re out riding in the city. Just tap the “My Location” button to find the bike routes nearest you.
- Cardinal Directions will help you find safer bike routes; estimate trip distances & times, as well as the calories you'll burn and carbon emissions and money you'll save; and explore all your other options when biking won't work.
History of UofL Free Bikeshare
Bike share program is expanding (UofL Today, 4/21/15)
Can bike share change the shape of Louisville? (Insider Louisville, 3/6/17)
Campus Sustainability Spotlight: Louisville BikeShare Program (The Fill, 5/5/17)
150 LouVelo Bikes Donated to UofL Bikeshare! (UofL Sustainability News, 8/30/24)
Pedal power: 150 LouVelo bikes donated to the University of Louisville (Spectrum News 1, 9/23/24)
Free Bikeshare began at UofL in 2009 with daily check-out from three residence halls: Kurz, Bettie Johnson, and Community Park. In 2012, the UofL Sustainability Council decided to use part of the new annual Climate Action Plan implementation funding to expand on-campus bikesharing and worked to supply restored bikes to any campus partner that had a front desk staff to manage the check-out process and secure, covered storage space for bikes. It began with a small fleet of five bikes at the former SAC Gym (which moved to the SRC when that facility opened) and eventually expanded to include 11 different check out locations, including the former Get Healthy Now Wellness Center and all nine on-campus residence halls: Bettie Johnson Hall; Community Park; Kurz Hall; Louisville Hall; Miller Hall; Threlkeld Hall; Unitas Tower; University Tower Apartments (UTA); and the Medical-Dental Apartments at HSC downtown. In the summer of 2019, when the Wellness Center closed and priorities changed at Campus Housing, the system shifted from decentralized daily bike check-outs to longer-term bike loans.
In August 2024, the UofL Bikeshare Program more than doubled its inventory with the donation of 150 surplus LouVelo Bikes from Louisville Metro Government. Louisville’s citywide bike share program, LouVelo, unfortunately shut down in October 2023. Since that time, Bike Louisville and Louisville Metro Government worked hard to find a new home for the LouVelo equipment. Simply scrapping the bikes or letting them rust away in storage was not an option. Because of this, we are happy to report that 150 LouVelo bikes were donated to the University of Louisville’s bike share program, where they will be rebranded and lent to students, faculty, and staff in need of active, reliable, and sustainable transportation! Thanks to the team at Public Works for their help loading and delivering the bikes and all of the volunteers who came out to help. To see a video of the 150-bike delivery click here: Check Out the Bike Delivery!
150 LouVelo Bikes Donated to UofL Bikeshare! (UofL Sustainability News, Aug. 30, 2024)
Pedal power: 150 LouVelo bikes donated to the University of Louisville (Spectrum News 1, Sept. 23, 2024)
