A new and improved Yellow Bike Program (YBP) is underway this semester, with sustainable operations throughout NAU’s campus. 

Last year’s program resulted in theft and vandalism of the bikes, so an advisory group came together to create a more sustainable plan. 

Student Life and the Office of Sustainability have worked to fix the problems that occurred with the program in the past. There will be checkout systems in three on-campus locations: the Du Bois Center, the Recreation Center and the University Union. 

Heather Farley, program coordinator in the Office of Sustainability, said each location will be labeled with a large laminated board. The bikes will be stationed at yellow bike racks with locks available. 

Because of liability, students will be required to sign a waiver at their first checkout. Each following checkout will consist of a card swiping process. Checkout times will be between 7:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. Bikes will be available to NAU students, faculty and staff. They can be checked out for a maximum duration of seven days. Helmets will be available, but not required.

Farley said they are hoping the system will cut down on incidents of theft and vandalism. Fees will be associated with damage beyond repair. 

An intern will be keeping track of the program’s process, such as who is checking out the bikes and how often. 

Farley said she thinks the system will work a lot better; it ensures a bike will be there.

“I’m really excited that we have the opportunity to sustain a program that had so much campus community support,” Farley said. 

NAU Outdoors Coordinator Andy Bourget has been on the YBP committee since last year. He will oversee the bike system at the Recreational Center location. Bourget said his invested interest comes from involvement with the outdoors program. As an undergraduate, he was a part of efforts to start a sustainable bike program throughout Flagstaff. The plan fell through. 

“It will be great to give students who don’t have a bike or a vehicle a reliable source of transportation,” Bourget said. 

Bourget helped create the liability waiver, which is still a draft in progress. 

Last year’s undamaged bikes were pulled out of circulation in May. Those will be used, along with the purchased bikes in this year’s YBP. 

The new bikes are single-speed cruisers. They have fewer mechanisms to break. 

Louise Brown, the director of the Du Bois Center, will be helping manage the program at that location. She said the last program did not function well. Yellow bikes were found dismembered behind the Du Bois Center last year. Brown said the new program puts more responsibility on the students. She said it is a good program to have accessible to students, faculty and staff. 

Along with Brown, Sky Anderson, a building manager for the Du Bois Center, will be helping to manage the program. She will be trained in the Web-based checkout system and also assist with educating student workers. 

Anderson said she hopes the program is used well and that people will have respect for the bikes. 

Rick Brandel, dean of students at NAU, has been an administrative component for YBP since it began last year. He said they are hoping to have the program in operation by Oct. 15. Test runs for the Web-based checkout system are still underway. Brandel said more than a hundred bikes will be available for checkout. Approximately 50 bikes will be released in the beginning of the program. One hundred bikes will be available by mid-November.