As part of a new promotion strategy by Chase — one of the country’s largest consumer banks — 10 Bicytaxis have travelled up and down Boston University’s stretch of Commonwealth Avenue and neighboring streets since Tuesday, offering rides to students who can produce a BU ID.
Students can hitch a ride to any campus location within a one-mile radius without signing up for anything, while Bicytaxi drivers pitch +1 — a program created to persuade college students to open Chase credit cards, as well as join its Facebook group.
Bicytaxis are making their first appearance in Boston, but they have been a feature of New York City streets for years, said Paolo Spidaliere, Boston marketing manager for TrashTalk! Outdoor, the company managing Chase’s +1 campaign.
“People love it,” Spidaliere said. “The Bicytaxi concept is new to Boston. They just stare at it and say, ‘what is that?'”
Spidaliere said after spending four days at Harvard University last week, the reception at BU was much better because Harvard students were “not as friendly and perceptive” to the Bicytaxis as BU students have been during the last two days.
He added that his team gave 200 rides Wednesday.
The Bicytaxis were originally slated to target Massachusetts Institute of Technology students in Cambridge this week, but after spending one day at MIT, organizers changed their plans and came to BU ahead of schedule.
“We weren’t kicked off or anything; we were asked by the City of Cambridge to get a permit to pick people up off the street,” Spidaliere said, adding that they plan to return to MIT’s campus upon receiving approval from Cambridge officials.
Bicytaxi driver Steve Love, 22, said some drivers in Cambridge were concerned that the sluggish vehicles would hold up traffic. But most drivers were not bothered by the Bicytaxis, Love said, and some even waved or signaled a thumb’s up as they drove by.
“The reactions from people are overwhelmingly positive,” Love said.
BU is the second stop on the Bicytaxi tour of campuses in the Boston area. Promoters spent Monday to Thursday last week at Harvard. They will leave BU’s campus today but will likely return for four more days during the week of Oct. 9. The pedaling advertisements are also scheduled to go to schools in the Fenway area, including Emmanuel College and Wentworth Institute of Technology.
Bicytaxi ads for +1 are also hitting the streets in Washington, D.C., New York and cities in Ohio and Michigan. The campaign was launched Sept. 5 and will continue through the fall semester.
As of yesterday evening, close to 24,000 college students nationwide had joined the +1 Facebook group. The group tempts students to open credit cards with Chase with incentives, including prizes and contests where students have the chance to meet celebrities from the TV and music industries.
Noah Kerner, CEO of Noise Marketing, the student marketing agency for Chase Credit Cards, said the +1 program promotes responsible financial behavior and encourages students to think about their friends and their community.
“A lot of kids are psyched that they get free rides across campus,” he said. “You totally don’t have to sign up for anything. No strings attached.”
Kerner said the Bicytaxi promotion plans to target 25 college campuses nationwide.