For those looking to explore Lawrence on two wheels, the Tour Lawrence Bike Share program offers the opportunity to enjoy Fort Harrison State Park, the expanding Fort Ben area and any part of the city.
Launched Oct. 8 of last year, the Tour Lawrence Bike Share program is considered a “huge success” by its creator, Daniel Beyer, director of communications for Lawrence.
“This year, we’ve had 719 rentals so far,” he said. “We worked with the Fort Harrison State Park to get free admission for Tour Lawrence Bike Share users. As a result, we’ve seen an uptick in rentals at the Lawrence Government Center location because of its location right outside the park entrance.”
The program was created after Beyer saw a similar program in Carmel called Tandem Mobility. Beyer wanted the program to be a draw for anyone looking to explore the city, hence the name “Tour Lawrence.”
“People can park their car at the Government Center for free and bike straight into the state park,” Beyer said. “Visitors staying at the Fort Harrison Hotel, or the new Tru Hotel could easily walk to both locations, too.”
The program features 10 bikes and two docking station — one at the Government Center and one at the Fort Ben Cultural Campus. Funding comes from the City of Lawrence’s Marketing budget, but Beyer is looking for sponsors for 2023.
“We would love to expand the program, especially with the new Tru Hotel that just opened, and the future Keystone Group apartments project,” Beyer said.
There are three options for rentals: pay-as-you-go is $1.50 per 30 minutes; monthly memberships are $10 per month; and annual memberships are $30. Both include free trips under an hour, then $1.50 per 30 minutes.
Anyone interested can download the Movatic app and make an account to get started.
The bike share closes for the winter from Dec. 21 to March 21.
