The Wheel Thing

Students, campus employees and even visitors are trekking around College Park faster than ever, while hardly putting their feet on the ground.

The University of Maryland and the city have teamed up with the private company Zagster to launch mBike, a bike-sharing service on campus and beyond.

Thanks to a grant from the state Department of Transportation, riders have been able to borrow bikes since May from any one of 15 locations on campus or around town. They just download an app or visit http://bike.zagster.com/mbike/ to get an access code to unlock a bike. Riders pay an hourly, monthly or annual fee.

“It’s awesome,” says Anna McLaughlin, assistant director in the Department of Transportation Services. “It’s about giving people options to get around, not having to wait for a bus and being on your own time schedule. It’s just super convenient and fun, and on top of that, it’s a little bit of exercise, it’s healthy, it’s not polluting and you don’t have to find a parking space.”