When people think of a vehicle fleet, most think of motor vehicles such as cars or vans. At the University of Oldenburg, bicycles now also become part of the fleet starting in September. The bike-hire scheme is available to all university staff and student assistants for work-related journeys or business trips. The campus bikes are particularly well-suited for travelling between the university’s various sites in a comfortable and climate-friendly way.
The scheme is organised by the central fleet management team in Department 4 in collaboration with the climate protection management team. Four centrally managed campus bikes are provided – two in Wechloy and two at the Haarentor campus. In addition, there are several decentralised campus bikes managed by individual organisational units. “It was important to us to ensure broad access to the bikes. That way, the initiative can unfold its full potential: with plenty of bikes at many locations, it’s very easy to use them as part of everyday work,” explains Andrea Klahsen, climate protection and sustainability officer.
Enabled by the Climate Protection Fund
The campus bikes were funded via the university’s Climate Action Fund 2025 – which consists of CO₂ levies on business air travel. The university uses this fund for measures that contribute to climate protection. Members of the university played an active role in deciding exactly how the funds should be used.
“At a workshop on the climate protection fund, participants decided how the available budget should be used. University bikes were right at the top of the wish list,” recalls Anna Sarah Krämer, advisor for university climate protection management. The proposal was subsequently taken up by the Executive Board, enabling the project to get underway in early 2026.
From folding bikes to cargo bikes – there’s something for every occasion
In addition to the four central bicycles in the fleet, several organisational units have purchased their own campus bikes. This was preceded by a call for proposals in spring 2026: interested departments could apply for a grant of up to 1,500 € from the Climate Protection Fund to finance the purchase of a bicycle.
Since then, various types of bikes have been acquired to meet different usage requirements. These include city bikes and trekking bikes, as well as folding bikes, cargo bikes and trailers – some with electric assistance and some without. Many of these bikes can also be borrowed by people outside the department in question. An overview with further information can be found on the campus bikes website (the site is only accessible via the campus network), and the central campus bikes can be borrowed via Stud.IP.
