Projects

Dero ZAP Snapshot: University of Colorado Colorado Springs

Earlier in the year, we told you about how every day is Bike to Work Day at Dero. You might wonder, how do we track our daily commuting, and what do those metrics look like? That’s where Dero ZAP comes in, our commuter wellness program. With a few clicks, anyone signed up can see how times they rode into work, the amount of CO2 they’ve reduced, the number of calories burned and gallons of gas saved. At Dero, we recently surpassed 14,000 miles biked for 2017!

Not familiar with ZAP? Watch this short video and continue reading below!
Did you know that Dero ZAP isn’t just for business commuter programs? Programs have been successfully launched at campuses across the US. Recently, our ZAP Specialist Tony Spaaij interviewed Kimberly Reeves, the Sustainability Program Manager at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. Read on to learn about the implementation, results, and highlights of their Dero ZAP program.

Tony: Why did you choose ZAP?

Kimberly: Dero ZAP was the only all-in-one program we could find. Their RFID tags allowed for easy participation that helped move our bike incentive program away from self-reporting. And the online dashboard provides easy access to information for both participants and program managers.

What is your favorite part of using ZAP?

My favorite part of using Dero ZAP are the affirming stories from participants. Our front runner is a facilities staff person, and he’ll be the first to tell you how far ahead of the second place rider he is. There’s also a chemistry professor who can’t get enough of the ‘chirp’ every time he gets to campus. He says it’s like a little cheer that he biked another day; he rides for the health benefits.

What was your experience implementing the program and getting people to participate?

Thanks to our Facilities Services staff, we were fortunate enough to get our first (of five) stations installed before our annual Bike Jam/Bike to Campus Day. At that one event, we were able to sign-up 60 participants. Since then, we’ve held more, smaller bike events and are currently at 85 participants. I think our riders appreciate the elimination of self-reporting data. We’re hoping this upcoming year, since we have all five stations installed as of March 2017, we’ll have more participation.

What have your results been since implementing the program?

That original station is by-far the most frequented, but the data has shown two other entrances on campus that personally, I don’t see on a daily basis and wouldn’t have expected that much traffic. These stats will help advocate for bike infrastructure in these priority areas.

What is your favorite program feature?

My favorite program feature is the ease of randomly handing-out prizes. I’m able to give a concrete goal for the month, and the dashboard provides the ability to sort, draw a winner and automatically alert them with an email. This feature also helps us keep a more accurate inventory of prizes.

Why is it important to promote wellness at your organization?

With the location of our campus on a bluff and 15-30 minutes from amazing hiking trails (not to mention the trails on campus,) promoting wellness seems to be a way of life at UCCS. Active living not only keeps us healthy, but also hopefully provides ways in which we can deal with life’s stresses in a positive way.

And how does ZAP contribute to promoting wellness?

Dero ZAP has been a forum for talking about why colleagues bike to campus. These conversations sometimes involve saving money on parking or reducing their use of single-occupancy vehicles, but no matter the reason, health is usually a main factor.
Interested in learning more about how you can start a Dero ZAP program? Register for a webinar or contact us!
Bike Storage, Tips

Campus Bike Parking: An Introductory Course

A+ Bike Parking

First and foremost, quality bike parking on any campus means more than just something to lock to (that would barely qualify as a passing grade). Good bike racks and bicycle storage should be u-lock compatible, protect students’ bikes from the elements, and be numerous enough to meet demand. Everyone hates searching for a spot to park when you’re already late for class!

Bike shelters are a great example of quality bicycle storage that protects students’ bikes from bad weather. In the above photo, a student at St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN checks out a bike from the campus bike share program. The Kolo Shelter is a perfect solution for fitting two-tiered systems, like the Dero Decker, to double up on bike parking capacity.

indoor bike room A bike room at Portland State University.

It should be no surprise that bike rooms receive an “A” grade in our book. Fully enclosed, secure parking, like in Portland State University’s Bike Garage, includes both two-tier and floor-mounted parking options, which accommodates many different types of bikes. Many bike rooms are furnished with public bike repair amenities, such as the Fixit repair stand and Air Kit bike pumps.

Keep Students Rolling

public bike repair stand The Dero Fixit public bike repair stand.

Bike repair stands don’t only belong in bike rooms. They’re perfect for busy bike paths, in or outside student residence halls, and in central public spaces on campus. The Dero Fixit provides all the necessary tools so students can perform basic bike maintenance. Add either an Air Kit 2 or Air Kit 3, and students have the ability to repair flats or top off the air in their tires.

Public bicycle repair stands are also great educational opportunities. Many campuses teach fix-a-flat or tune-up classes at the stands, so students can learn how to use all of the tools available to them. Here are a few videos that colleges and universities made to highlight their campus bike repair:

University of Iowa, UT Arlington, Tufts University, Penn State, University of Oregon.

Encourage Active Transportation

College campuses have high numbers of active people in a concentrated area. Dero ZAP is our automated commuter tracking program and is used to incentivize and gather data on students’ commutes at campuses across the country.

At the University of Minnesota, Dero ZAP has been used to track both faculty and students’ commutes since 2012. Steve Sanders, Alternative Transportation Manager at the U, says that “Since the program’s inception in 2012 we’ve seen increased bicycle mode share and a deepened cycling culture. We’ve also been extremely pleased by how many women are actively participating – over 40% of participants are women.”

For more information on Dero ZAP, watch our “How it works” video.

Cultivate Campus Identity

bike rack on college campus St. Olaf Collage chose to highlight their logo in this custom laser-cut Bike Bike Rack.

As more colleges and universities invest more resources into their biking infrastructure, custom racks are a great way for schools to stand out and add a personalized touch to their bike parking. At Dero, we’ve had years of experience making custom projects a reality. All we need is your school’s logo or mascot.

bike friendly campus logo

Feel confident you’ve mastered Campus Bike Parking 101? Time to take your biking game to the next level: consider applying for Bicycle Friendly University (BFU) status through the League of American Bicyclists. Dero has been a Gold certified Bike Friendly Business for over 4 years (you can read our story here), and we hope you “ace” your BFU application!

News

Dero ZAP 2013 Year in Review

Looking back at 2013, it was a great year for Dero ZAP. We’ve come so far since 2009. We’re proud that our system has made it possible for universities, cities, and schools to track and incentivize bicycling around the country and the world. We now have a total of 48 readers spanning Minneapolis and St. Paul. There are also readers in Oregon, Texas, California, Washington, New England, and even Canada and Holland. A total of 310,000 rides were recorded in 2013, which puts us over 450,000 zaps since Dero ZAP’s inception (see infographic above, stats do not include Boltage readers). Dero ZAP came to be because the University of Minnesota (U of M) wanted to be able to track its bike commuters automatically, so it could reward those bicycling to/from campus. The U of M began its Zap program in January 2012 and at the end of 2013 it tagged its 2,500th Gopher ZAP user! This is a major milestone for ridership at the U of M and is one of the many reasons why it’s considered one of the “great colleges for cyclists” and has a Gold level Bicycle Friendly University designation from the League of American Bicyclists. They even have annual spring and fall Zap challenges where teams compete for prizes, as well as the coveted first place. Another trailblazer, ZAP Twin Cities is wrapping up its pilot year of running programs for downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul commuters. New riders were rewarded with a bike light after logging their first 10 zaps, with over 400 riders receiving one in 2013. This growing program continues to reward its bike commuters with prizes, such as home storage bike racks, gift cards, and bike tune-ups to increase people on bikes and decrease single occupancy motor vehicles on our roads. But many bike riders don’t need more of an incentive than the “beep” they hear biking past a Zap reader! We’re delighted that more and more organizations understand the need to increase and support cycling in their communities and that Dero ZAP can help them achieve their goals. More biking helps to lower our footprint on the environment, improve our health, and build a sustainable future for everyone.
News

Now, Therefore, Be it Resolved…Dero ZAP

The City of Minneapolis recognized the winners of the 2010 Commuter Choice Awards with a Resolution at the Minneapolis City Council meeting on February 11. Dero was winner of the Technology Excellence Award for developing the Dero ZAP, a wireless, solar powered web based application that allows organizations to verify and reward bike commuters. Congratulations to other winners of the Metropolitan Councils award: Laura Kirstein and Christopher Wurtz of Wells Fargo, Carmichael Lynch and The Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Well done!