Tugo Bike in Tucson

Share is now up and running, and to familiarize Tucsonans with the system, every Tuesday in December will be Free Ride Tuesday, with unlimited 30-minute rides all day, thanks to Supporting Sponsor Caterpillar.
So what is bike share? It’s not the same as renting a bike.
Bike share is a form of transit, intended for short trips of 30 minutes or less from one bike share station to another. It helps solve the “last-mile” problem – getting people from their location to a bus or streetcar stop and vice versa. And it helps people get and stay physically active, improving their health.
Tugo Bike Share launched with 330 bikes and 36 bike share stations in the downtown and University area.
So how does it work?
You can buy an $8 daily pass using a credit card at one of the kiosk bike share stations, or using the CycleFinder app at one of the smart bike share stations. Each station has a map of all stations in the system, and whether it’s a kiosk or a smart station.
Or, you can buy a monthly, annual, or access membership on the website – TugoBikeShare.com. There’s even a cash payment option. When you buy a membership, they mail you a card you can use to check out a bike from any bike share station.
Monthly memberships are $18; annual memberships are $80; and access memberships, for Tucsonans receiving SNAP benefits, are just $5 a year.
A pass or membership entitles you to unlimited 30-minute rides from bike share station to bike share station. If you go over 30 minutes before docking at a station, however, additional user fees apply. So keep that 30-minute time frame in mind.
There’s more info on how to ride at TugoBikeShare.com.
Tugo Bike Share operations are funded by user fees and sponsorships – Premium Sponsors Tucson Medical Center, Tucson Electric Power, the Tohono O’odham Nation and Banner Health; Sponsors Rio Nuevo and Visit Tucson; and Supporting Sponsors El Rio Health and HealthOn Broadway, the Gadsden Company, Caterpillar and the Tucson Roadrunners. Without their support, Tucson would not have a bike share system. The equipment was purchased with a grant from the Pima Association of Governments, which allocated Federal Highway Administration funds to the project.
Check out bike share this month during Free Ride Tuesdays. It’s a great way to get active and burn some of those holiday calories, and it’s fun, too!