The Iola community participates in a bike sharing program sponsored by Thrive Allen County. The program is free and is easy to access for fellow community residents. The program allows people to borrow bikes and use them wherever they would like to travel within the community.

In larger cities, there are different types of traveling systems that residents have to pay for which include GPS enabled bikes, and stations for the bikes. The bike sharing program in Iola does something similar which creates easier access to check out the bikes in various areas around town.

Allen Community College has partnered with Thrive and participated in the bike sharing program since 2017. Students attending Allen Community College have access to the bikes, which are provided at the Allen library. The bikes are single-speed cruisers and can be checked out for one day at a time. When a student checks out a bike, they just need to provide a picture ID and sign a waiver form.

During the spring and fall, checking out bikes has become more popular and has been growing ever since it started. The program has been a great experience for students who have checked out the bikes. The bikes can make travel to certain areas in town easier, allowing someone to attend any activities they wish or complete other errands.

Locations for the bike sharing program are provided on the thriveallencounty.org website.