Electric Bikes Make Sense for University Campuses!

Electric bikes make a lot of sense for the individual person getting to and from their job and running errands; not to mention just having fun 🙂

They also make a lot of sense for large institutions like universities and colleges, large and small business, airports, hospitals, national and state parks, etc.  Ebikes allow for a convenient way to get around campuses and towns while reducing emissions and in the end saving the organization money.

The following is a guest post from Nora Gildea, VP Marketing at Pietzo Electric Bikes about ebikes on some of the large university campuses.  Enjoy!

Pietzo electric bikes are showing up everywhere on college campuses and it’s the university employees who are hopping on board. Used by campus police, mail services departments and facilities and maintenance personnel, electric bikes provide an eco-friendly and cost-effective way to get around campus.

At Wellesley College, facilities’ mechanics crisscross the campus on electric bikes, carrying diagnostic tools in saddlebags outfitted to each side of the bike.  Not only does the use of electric bikes have a positive environmental impact, the college benefits from cost savings on gas and vehicle maintenance.

Electric bicycles on campus benefit:

• sustainability: support campus greening objectives, lower carbon emissions
• security: officers ride footpaths and roads quickly and quietly with less exertion
• facilities: replace fuel-burning trucks for frequent trips, extend life of fleet vehicles
• commuters: save money on parking; arrive to work refreshed and sweat-free

At Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, the police department estimates they save close to $20 a day in fuel by putting an officer on an electric bike.  At that rate, it would take just 80 days to pay back their $1,600 investment in a Pietzo electric bike. On an urban campus, take Harvard for example, officers are able to quickly cut through traffic and finding a spot to park the cruiser is no longer an issue.  And at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts, where the campus is built on a steep incline, Pietzo electric bikes allow officers to power up the hills and patrol the campus more effectively.

So when you head for Parents’ Weekend at your son or daughter’s college this Fall, take a closer look at the bicycles cruising by.  You may be surprised to see they’re electric!

End of guest post from Nora.

So what do you think?  Would you like to see more large and small organizations using ebikes for getting their people around?  Please leave your comments below.

-Pete

P.S. Don’t forget to join the Electric Bike Report community for updates from the electric bike world, plus ebike riding and maintenance tips! (upper right hand corner of this site)