Applications are open for Big Blue Cycles
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Aug, 18, 2026) – Pedal your way to classes this fall by taking advantage of Big Blue Cycles. Big Blue Cycles is a fleet of more than 150 bicycles available exclusively to students who live in campus housing and sign a one-year car-free commitment.
Applications for this free program are now open. Students who are selected will have the bicycle for the entire academic year.
Big Blue Cycles is one of several incentives that UK Transportation Services offers to encourage people to choose an alternate commuting option, rather than bringing a motor vehicle to campus. This program falls under the umbrella of Wildcat Wheels, the university’s free bike repair shop located on the first floor of Sports Center Garage.
“Selected students will receive a commuter-style, eight-speed bicycle, as well as a lock and an optional helmet,” said Joey Daniels, alternative transportation manager for Transportation Services.
If more than 150 students apply for the program, a random drawing will be held to select the group of students who will receive a bike. Returning residents who held a parking permit the previous year receive priority consideration.
Participants must also complete a brief safety orientation session, provided by Wildcat Wheels.
The application deadline for Big Blue Cycles is 11:59 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 30. Learn more and apply online.
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and healthcare. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $1.02 billion research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.