Celebrate Bike to Work Day May 16 with free coffee, snacks and CAT Bike rental

biketoworkFriday, May 16 is National Bike to Work Day. To celebrate the occasion in Savannah we are organizing a bicycle commuting convoy. We’ll meet at Hull Park at 7:45 a.m. and ride north at 8 a.m. Here’s the facebook event, if you want to join or invite others. We’ll also be offering free Foxy Loxy coffee and snacks from Whole Foods Market to bicycle commuters at the corner of Lincoln and Henry streets, beginning at 8 a.m. Whether you ride with the convoy or on your own, please stop by.

CAT BIKEOur friends at Chatham Area Transit are getting into the Bike to Work Day spirit, too, by offering free 24-hour memberships to CAT Bike on May 16! Enter the promo code 0516 at the kiosk or “biketowork” online  to redeem your free membership! That’s not all! Post a picture of yourself on a CAT Bike on Chatham Area Transit’s Facebook or Twitter page to enter a drawing for a free annual membership.

CAT Bike brings bicycle sharing to Savannah

cat bikes

Savannah is the first city in Georgia to offer a bicycle sharing program. Chatham Area Transit‘s CAT Bike program launches in January 2014 with stations at the Joe Murray Rivers, Jr. Intermodal Transit Center and Ellis Square (sponsored by City of Savannah Mobility and Parking Services) , and 16 3-speed bicycles. CAT selected B-Cycle to provide the system and on Dec. 16 volunteers from our SpokeModels group completed final assembly of the bikes.

Cat Bike assembly
SpokeModels volunteer Lee Burbage assembles a CAT Bike on Dec. 17.

The program has received media coverage from WJCL-TV and the Savannah Morning News. Marcus Howard’s Dec. 25 story, Savannah bike share program set to launch in January, was picked up by the Associated Press and has appeared in media outlets as far away as San Francisco. Howard’s piece includes program pricing information:

Each location has spots for eight bicycles. Riders will be able to rent the bikes for $2 per half-hour. The program also will offer 7-day pass for $20 and an annual pass for $60. Bikes will be available from 5:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., and riders can return the bikes to either downtown rack.

CAT has posted preliminary information on its “Bike and Ride” page, with the promise of more content soon.

CAT Bike has tremendous potential in Savannah, especially if the system is expanded with additional bikes and stations. What are the big picture benefits of bike sharing in Savannah? Read Why to Care About Bike Share.