North central Kansans can enjoy free bike rides next week. Here's how.
People across north central and southeastern Kansas will be able to enjoy free bike rides in celebration of Mobility Week from Nov. 5 to 12.
KANcycle, a bike share program by OCCK Transportation in 10 cities across the state, is offering the promo code MobWeek23 for free rides on its bicycles throughout that week.
Michell Griffin, director of mobility management for the north central region, said that KANcycle is a great way to promote the communities where it operates, with the ability to take advantage of bicycling for mobility.
"Biking is a great way to get exercise (and) get your heartrate going (while) you see your community," Griffin said. "Especially here in Salina with all the murals, it's a great way to get around."
What are the benefits of using KANcycle?
In KANcycle cities that operate more than one bike rack location, Griffin said people can take the bicycles from one location to the next, offering a way to get from one place to another in a unique way.
"You can go from Kansas Wesleyan (University), for example, to Bill Burke Park or vice versa," Griffin said.
Another benefit of having bike share programs is by offering the community with another way to help complete what is known as the "first-mile/last-mile."
"(That's) getting people from the bus stop to their final destination," Griffin said. "We need to account for that somehow. Offering bikes is a way to do that."
She said all the bikes within the KANcycle system are connected to public transit in some way.
Beginning in north central Kansas in June of 2019, Griffin said the KANcycle system has provided around 9,000 rides in total, with more than 3,000 already in 2023.
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How to use the KANcycle bike share for free during Mobility Week
Throughout the week of Nov. 5-12, people interesting in using the KANcycle program in the communities where it's available — Salina, Minneapolis, Concordia, Belleville, Mankato, Beloit, Lincoln, Ellsworth, Lindsborg and Coffeyville — can do so by downloading and creating an account on the Movatic app, available for both iPhone and Android.
Through Movatic, riders can find a rack with an available bike on the map, with each bike having a unique number. Riders will simply enter that code in the app, use the promo code on the payment screen to unlock the bike and start riding.
Outside of Mobility Week, KANcycle rides cost $1.50 for 30 minutes or through a yearly subscription that costs $30 for the general public and $20 for college students.
"That (subscription) gives one-hour, unlimited rides," Griffin said.
This article originally appeared on Salina Journal: KANcycle bike share program offering free rides for Mobility Week
