On September 28, 2015, students, faculty, staff, and administrators gathered at the Marshall Center amphitheater to attend the ribbon cutting ceremony for Share-A-Bull. Organizations like WalkWise, Alert Today Alive Tomorrow, and Student Government attended the event, their tables piled high with safety swag. Share-A-Bull t-shirts were given to students who downloaded the SocialBicycles app.

 

Dr. Yu Zhang, Civil and Environmental Engineering faculty, and lead researcher for Share-A-Bull, got the idea to change on-campus transportation when she trekked across USF in 2008, wishing instead to, “ride and enjoy the breeze.” To increase parking options on campus, the New North Transportation Alliance provided 150 bike racks funded by FDOT, while Student Green Energy Fund and Campus Recreation headed up the execution of Zhang’s idea.

 

President Judy Genshaft, an avid biker, requested a Share-A-Bull t-shirt before her speech. “I need my green,” she said, before she pulled the shirt over her head and added, “Now I feel better…Go bulls, and I love the green bikes!”  Then, the ribbon was snipped. Students cheered and strapped on helmets from the bikes’ baskets, ready to ride the bikes across campus, then lock them and leave them—until the next time they need them.