A Community Bicycle Loan Program

Blue Urban Bikes (BUB), a community bicycle loan program, is designed to provide a reliable source of clean, affordable and sustainable transportation. Our community is ideal for getting around on a bicycle -- when you think about the time it often takes to find a parking space, riding a bike simply takes less time and leaves you feeling strong, able and healthy. The BUB Fleet offers a transportation alternative to citizens so that they may play an active role in lessening the environmental footprint of our community. Nobody suspected in 2006 that gas prices would rise over four dollars per gallon, but now in 2008, the BUB program can also claim to help its users' budgets!

BUB Hubs, checkout stations for the Blue Urban Bikes, are located throughout Carrboro and Chapel Hill and soon on the campus of UNC-Chapel Hill. Each BUB Hub accommodates multiple bikes; racks are installed to secure the BUBs when not in use (each locked to the rack with it's own cable lock). Employees of each BUB Hub check-out BUBs to card carrying members, exchanging a key (and helmet if necessary) for the member's card. A simple log records who's checking-out what and for how long. Members of the program ($10/annual) can check-out a BUB for up to 24-hours free of charge. Upon return of the BUB, a Hub employee performs a quick "ABC" inspection: air pressure of the tires, brakes, chain and gears (also asking the rider if they noticed anything wrong). The ReCYCLEry offers a short class to employees on how to perform this inspection. BUBs failing this inspection are culled out of circulation until needed repairs are performed by the ReCYCLEry. The combination of checking-out and checking-in each BUB should require less than ten minutes.

BUB Hubs are responsible for daily inspection of the BUBs: maintaining proper air pressure of the tires and calling in necessary repairs. Monthly tune-ups and random spot repairs are performed on each BUB by the ReCYCLEry. Membership applications are processed by SURGE. We believe the BUB Fleet illustrates our community's commitment to a sustainable lifestyle while rewarding participating businesses with increased clientele and the positive image of Blue Urban Bikes.

Now nearly two years after inception, the ReCYCLEry and BUB have received recognition at RTP Headquarter's 2008 luncheon and award ceremony celebrating the achievements of the year's transportation demand management (TDM) programs, including the Durham County Trip Reduction Ordinance and TDM Programs in RTP, Durham, Orange and Wake Counties.

Interested?

You can become a part of the Blue Urban Bike community for only $10 a year. Thanks to our partner organization, SURGE, you can now register online [1], using Paypal or Google Checkout. Alternately, you can download and mail in a BUB Application [2] [pdf file] or a Volunteer Application [3] [pdf file].

After registering online, mailing in an application, or signing up at a local BUB Hub, SURGE will mail you a membership card, a map pointing out the BUB Hubs and a general information sheet pertaining to: sizing of the BUBs, riding edict and other responsibilities or good ideas. You can immediately begin checking out BUBs if you present a copy or print-out of your membership payment.

BUB Hubs

Skylight Exchange / Nightlight [4] at 405 1/2 W. Rosemary Street, Chapel Hill [5]

According to the 3 Cups website, the business and therefore the BUB Hub, is temporarily closed

3 Cups coffee shop [6] at 431 W. Franklin Street, Chapel Hill [7]

Back Alley Bikes [8] at 108 N. Graham Street, Chapel Hill [9]

Townsend Bertram & Company Adventure Outfitters [10] at 200 N. Greensboro St. facing Weaver Street, Carrboro [11], in front Carr Mill Mall to the right of Weaver Street Market

Owen's 501 Diner at 1500 Fordham Blvd. (15-501 bypass), Chapel Hill [12], in between Eastgate and Rams Plaza

YMCA [13] at 980 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Chapel Hill [14]

Balanced Movement/ Balanced Physical Therapy [15] at 304 W. Weaver St., Carrboro [16]

Chapel Hill Town Hall [17] at 405 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd,
Chapel Hill [18]

BUB Partners

The ReCYCLEry [19] Teaching and working on bikes and community activism

SURGE [20] Students United for Responsible Global Environment

The Legacy Center... please contribute online links!

BUB News

Award Winning BUB is up! ...not to mention gas prices [21] published 6/26/08

Blue Bikes Rolling [22] published in The Carrboro Citizen [23] Front Page, 7/26/07

Blue Urban Bike Updates [24] as emailed to BUB Members, 5/02/07

Cup of java and a bike to go, please [25] published in The Chapel Hill News [26], 9/13/06

Program fights traffic by loaning bikes [27] published in The News & Observer [28], 9/12/06

Roses & Rasberries [29] published in The Chapel Hill News [30], 8/30/06

Pedaling toward a better future [31] published in The Chapel Hill Herald [31] Opinion Section, 8/29/06

Festival to showcase Blue Bike plan [32] published in The Daily Tarheel [33] City Section, 8/25/06

These wheels are a steal [34] published in The Daily Tarheel [35] City Section, 7/13/06