Bike Share is Spreading to University Campuses in Ghana

Aldin Cycles is helping students get around their university towns safely and efficiently.

Aldin Cycles, a bike share company, recently launched dockless on the University of Ghana, Legon campus in Accra. Their goal is to provide sustainable transportation for students, faculty, and staff through cycling on university campuses.

Accra is now on the list of bike share systems popping up in different cities across Africa, including GURARIDE in Kigali, Rwanda; Bisiklet Megarat in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; and Cairo Bike in Cairo, Egypt.

In Ghana, Aldin Cycles is hoping to offer a new form of public transportation for those on campus. Due to the campus’s size and amenities, it can feel like a small town, causing some students to rarely leave campus.

“Students usually need to commute around campus, and many end up walking to class, which is tiring and unsafe due to road congestion,” says Rene Atiso, co-founder, chief operations officer, and head of marketing for Aldin Cycles. “Our bike share provides an alternative transportation solution.” 

The fleet currently has 100 classic bikes, with 50 in operation at the university for this pilot phase. There are multiple parking stations at eight out of the 18 hostels on the campus. Aldin Cycles rents out parking spaces where they know there’s a large concentration of students. According to Atiso, the bikes are equipped with Internet of Things (IoT) systems, tracking systems, and solar systems to charge some bike components.

An Aldin Cycles parking station outside a hostel on campus

There are designated red, yellow, and blue zones throughout the campus service area. Bikes cannot be ridden or parked in red zones. The yellow zones are routes that users are advised not to use due to high vehicle traffic and should take alternative routes. Blue zones are what Aldin Cycles calls its business zone, where riding and parking are permitted. Since the system is undocked, users can park anywhere in the blue zone but are encouraged to park in designated spaces by Aldin Cycles.

Map of Aldin Cycles parking stations

Bikes are available from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.. Then from 10 p.m. to midnight, Aldin Cycles’s logistics crew goes around, picks up bikes, and redistributes the bikes across the parking stations so they are available each morning. 

“We’re trying to be attractive for everyone. We’re seeing most girls are riding, regardless of their outfits. Some people are riding in skirts. Some Muslims are riding. We’re seeing this diverse inclusion on campus, and we are very excited about that.”

The bikes are charged by the minute. A 30-minute ride costs six Ghanaian Cedi ($0.58) and a one-hour ride costs 12 Ghanaian Cedi ($1.16).

Learn more at aldincycles.com.

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The Better Bike Share Partnership is funded by The JPB Foundation as a collaboration between the City of Philadelphia, the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO), and the PeopleForBikes Foundation to build equitable and replicable bike share systems. Follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or sign up for our weekly newsletter.

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