Cycle club to offer free rides

The Friends of IU Riding Club will provide free rides to students Thursday afternoon, starting at 11 a.m., near the X-bus stop at the Indiana Memorial Union.

The service is part of the motorcycle group’s Delivers program, which provides a first-hand experience for students interested in riding a motorcycle.

The group, which has about 110 members, was founded in 2011 by students Jack Witter, Alex Jerden and Mason Thomas, Jerden said.

Jerden, a senior and vice president of the group, said in an email he expects about 20 drivers to attend the event to take students to their next class or around campus.

“We take a lot of students back to their residence halls or homes,” he said. “Many of them proceed to their next class, and a few just want to go for a spin.”

Jerden said the group chose the X-bus stop in order to reach a variety of students.
“Also, since it is in an automobile-restricted area of campus we feel it is an extremely safe place for us to be, given the reduced traffic.”

He said the group does not wish to cause a disruption.

Jerden said the program is safety-oriented, and each driver carries insurance.

“Our own personal insurance policies cover passengers since we are not exchanging any money or goods for the rides,” he said. “It is the same liability situation as it would be for me to take a passenger any other day.”

He said he hopes the program will show students that motorcycling is a safe and affordable form of transportation.

“We want people to see the safe side of motorcycling, the unlimited parking everywhere, the cheap insurance and insanely high gas mileage,” he said. “We want people to ... experience the positive side of it all.”

— Holly Hays