Zagster bike riders can now return their rentals downtown instead of leaving them in a bush in the Highlands thanks to a newly installed sharing station.

The brand-new station sits across from the State College Municipal Building on Allen Street and has enough space to hold 12 bikes at a time.

Penn State first partnered with Zagster Bike Share in 2017, installing 17 stations at various campus hot spots with the goal of providing students, faculty, staff, and visitors more transportation options on campus.

Seeing a need for expansion, the University Park Undergraduate Association approved $12,000 in funding in March to bring Zagster downtown, although the entire program will cost around $24,000. If the new location is successful, two more stations will be added on the east and west sides of the downtown area.

UPUA Representative and Borough Council member candidate Tom Dougherty noticed Zagster bikes being discarded randomly downtown, which led him to help pioneer the expansion. Dougherty hoped to partner with local businesses for the remainder of the funding.

To use the bikes, users can download the Zagster app and join the Penn State bike share. From there, you can select a bike number to unlock it and begin riding for a small fee.

Since the bikes don’t need to be returned to their original stations, Zagster users can utilize a map feature showing every location available to deposit bikes when finished. However, even if a station is full, bikes can be returned, if locked, at any public bike rack within 50 feet.

Here’s a look at the current Zagster bike-share stations around campus and downtown State College:

Riders can pay either $3 an hour to use the bikes or for an annual membership. Faculty/staff annual memberships are $35, while student memberships are $25.