SPRINGDALE, Ark. — As biking continues to gain popularity in Northwest Arkansas, local nonprofit Pedal It Forward is working towards making bikes more accessible.
Ozark Regional Transit (ORT) partnered with the local nonprofit for a bike giveaway day.
The transit system stocked their routes with two bikes each at the start of the day.
"It's a multimodal collaboration. So oftentimes, if you use a bus to get somewhere, you then potentially have to walk to your final destination. And so by combining buses and bikes, we can get people more mobile, in Northwest Arkansas," Pedal It Forward Executive Director Kenny Williams said.
"They can hop on the bike after their $0 ride and get on their $0 bike and get to where they need to go," Erika Finnestead with ORT said.
Springdale resident Amanda Hasbrouck rode ORT's On-demand bus from her home and pharmacy. She told 5NEWS that she'd be using her bike for transportation, especially throughout the Arkansas summer.
"It's very important because sometimes the bus doesn't get you right where you need. you have to do a lot of walking so in the heat it'll help," Hasbrouck said.
"A lot of times a rider will get to a bus stop and then they still have another mile or so or even a half a mile. I don't know if anybody here recently has walked a half a mile in the Arkansas summer, it's pretty high," Finnestead said.
The ORT busses carried the free bike and any rider wanting one just had to ask. The Driver would have them sign a waiver and then give them a helmet and bike lock.
"We love our cars. But that's not always the solution. But we also know that vehicles are a privilege," said Finnestead.
"There's a major movement happening in Northwest Arkansas to be bikable to be able to use a bicycle to get around. And we're a crucial piece of that because oftentimes people who need a bicycle to get around can't afford one," Williams said.
"It's a great exercise and it's a great source of transportation. You don't have to buy gas. Everything's free. Can ask for anything better?" ORT rider Vanya Cienfuegos said.
Cienfuegos was simply riding the bus to grab a bite to eat and work. Now as a new Arkansan, she can further immerse herself in the self-proclaimed biking capital.
"Now I can go with my bicycle to a lot of trails and try them out," said Cienfuegos.
By the end of Monday, ORT said they'd given away a total of 40 bikes. For those that missed their chance for the giveaway, Pedal It Forward says this won't be the last time they do the partnership and they'll also continue to give away bikes year-round. For all the new bike owners, Ozark regional transit says to visit their website to learn how to load and unload your bike from a bus.
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