Update: Expansion of Gotcha Bikes

Update…
An electronic bike-share system, known as, Gotcha Bikes was added last semester. The purpose of these bikes is to be a more accessible mode of transportation to get around campus. The Gotcha bikes are electric pedal-assist bikes that can be accessed through the Gotcha app. The app is available for both Android and iPhone. The way the app works is that once students or faculty has created an account, they will be able to scan the barcode on the handlebars to create their purchase. 
The amount to unlock the bikes is $2 per ride and $0.10 a minute after it is unbarred. Once said student or faculty member has finished with the bike, it should be parked into any of the many hubs around campus. So far, the only information the Southern University student body and faculty have, in regards to the bikes, is the essential functions and how much it cost to operate. Recently, Cokie Reed, the Community Manager of Gotcha, has given a few updates for the usage of the bikes and its plans.
There is another option to obtain the Gotcha Bikes. It is called the Jaguar Mo-Pass Subscription. The Jaguar Mo-Pass Subscription offers an hour of free riding time each day, and it removes all unlock fees. There are two types of subscriptions, the Monthly Mo-Passes, which costs $6.99 per month and the Annual Mo-Passes, which costs $59.99 per year. Cokie Reed, the Gotcha Community Manager, states that “…the subscriptions can be accessed through the Gotcha app and are available to anyone with a Southern University email.” As well these subscriptions can be used on and off-campus for Southern University students and officials.
Another update beneficial to the student body is the docking of the bikes. Now for some students, there has been an issue of being continuously charged for the bikes after they have finished with it. The reason for that is the bikes may not be adequately parked in the hub. The bikes can be parked in any center, but if the bike is not at the hub, the student or faculty member will be charged a $5 out-of-hub fee. 
They can also be charged a $50 out-of-system fee if the bike is parked outside the area marked with the red border as depicted in the Gotcha app. To prevent any additional and unwanted fees, the student body and faculty members should make sure that the bikes are appropriately parked within the hub. If there is still a problem with the bikes, as stated by Mrs. Reed, “…we have a 24-hour helpline that can be accessed through the app where students and faculty members can reach out and let their issue be known and fixed right away.”
Moving on, there are future reported plans for the Gotcha bikes. Currently, the bikes are in Phase One, which consists of 50 bike hubs, consisting of 500 bicycles, within the Baton Rouge area. Some of these are located in the Downtown Baton Rouge area, on the LSU Campus and of course on the Southern University Campus. 
Phase Two, according to Mrs. Reed this phase will consist of “…expanding the number of bike hub locations in Baton Rouge which will increase the number to 800 bikes. We haven’t finalized those locations, but we do plan on adding more hubs on the Southern University campus.” So in the future students and faculty can expect to see more hubs on campus and throughout Baton Rouge.
So far, this is the most current information. Hopefully, these updates will make it easier for Southern University students and the staff to use the Gotcha Bikes. #WeGotcha with all of the future updates and expansions concerning Gotcha Bikes.

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