CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WICS) — Starting this semester, Bird will join the dockless bike share program on the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus, adding 500 Class 1 pedal-assist e-bikes to the local fleet.

The bikes will be available in a designated service area throughout the greater Champaign-Urbana area.

Using Bird’s geozone technology, five slow ride zones will be activated on the Main Quad, Bardeen Quad, South Quad, Ikenberry Commons and a section of North Campus.

These specific locations can be viewed here. Pedal assist will be reduced in these high-use areas to improve pedestrian safety in central campus areas.

The bikes are available 24/7, however, during severe weather, including snow and ice storms, a local company ground team may temporarily take the fleet out of service.

Sarthak Prasad, Assistant Director of Sustainable Transportation, said, “Providing additional micromobility options to the campus community is one of our top active transportation priorities, and expanding the campus bike-sharing fleet through a partnership with Bird is an example of this commitment.”

Bird offers two pricing options: pay per ride ($1 unlock fee plus $0.39 per mile) or different ride passes and subscription tiers based on expected usage.

Rental information, passenger rules and operational updates for the fleet are available in the Bird app. New users receive a discount on their first ride.