Transportation Services Gears Up for Third Year of Bicycle Voucher Program

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 10, 2017) — University of Kentucky Transportation Services is rolling out the third year of its successful bike voucher program today. The program is designed to encourage employees and students to consider alternatives to driving a vehicle to campus by offering 100 qualified applicants each $400 in vouchers valid at any of the five participating local bike shops in exchange for agreeing not to purchase a motor vehicle permit for two years.

Transportation Services will begin accepting applicants for the 2017 edition of bicycle voucher program today, Monday, April 10. The application window will close Friday, June 30.

UK employee Meg Marquis was part of the inaugural class of bike voucher recipients, and plans to continue commuting by bike once her commitment to the program has ended.

“Participating in the bike voucher program has shown me how rarely I actually need to bring a car to campus. My commute is actually faster on my bike than driving and fighting with campus traffic and finding parking,” Marquis said. “I'm definitely converted to not buying a parking pass once my two-year program is complete this summer!”

The bicycle voucher program — along with other Transportation Services programs such as BluPass and the “cash out” incentive — is part of a suite of alternative transportation options available to the UK community. The programs are designed to simplify the process of shifting from driving a single-occupancy vehicle to campus to an alternative form of transportation, and to reward those individuals who make the change in their routine. These initiatives support the recommendation of the Transportation Master Plan (TMP), which aims to improve access and mobility to, from and around campus for all members of the UK community — not just those who choose to commute by car.

Vouchers are awarded with the goal of reducing the number of motor vehicles on campus. To that end, priority will be given to students and employees who have had a vehicle parking permit for the past fiscal year (July 1-June 30), but those new to the university will also be given consideration.

The one-time use vouchers may be used toward the purchase of a bicycle or gear and accessories to outfit a bike that the employee or student already owns. Program participants will also receive 10 scratch-off parking passes — one-day permits that may be used on occasions when participants must bring a motor vehicle to campus. Participants will have the opportunity to purchase up to 40 additional scratch-off permits per fiscal year. Prior to receiving the bike voucher, participants must attend a short program orientation covering basic bicycle safety and regulations, as well as campus and community resources for bicyclists.

Residential students are not eligible for the bicycle voucher program, but are encouraged to sign up for use of a bicycle through the Big Blue Cycles fleet.

As part of the fifth annual Bike Week celebration, Transportation Services is offering a bike voucher panel, where potential bike voucher applicants can learn more about the program and hear about the experiences of current program participants. The session will be held from noon to 1 p.m. Tuesday, April 11, in 225 Patterson Hall. Brown bag lunches are welcome.

To learn more about the bike voucher program or to submit an application, visit www.uky.edu/pts/alternative-transportation_bicycle-voucher. To learn more about the TMP, visit www.uky.edu/evpfa/node/39.