Students can sign up for a discounted Capital Bikeshare annual pass beginning this academic year, according to a release from the District Department of Transportation.

The $25 annual pass will be available to all students at universities that have signed on to the program, the release states. An annual Capital Bikeshare pass would otherwise cost $85, according to Capital Bikeshare’s website.

“This new program creates opportunities for thousands of college students to affordably travel across all eight wards of the District using Capital Bikeshare,” DDOT Director Jeff Marootian said in the company’s release. “Our goal with all of our shared mobility options is to reduce the barriers to sustainable, active transportation options.”

Universities must join the discounted program individually to make the discount available to their students, and DDOT will work with universities to implement the program, according to the release.

Lauren Stephens, a DDOT spokeswoman, said DDOT created the program as part of the agency’s efforts to expand District residents’ accessibility to Capital Bikeshare bikes.

“DDOT has met with three universities, and George Washington University is the first university to move forward,” she said. “The plan is to roll out the new program at the beginning of the semester.”

Stephens said each university that takes part in the program will send students a discount code that can be entered when purchasing an annual pass on the Capital Bikeshare website.

“Over time, we hope to expand the program to all universities based in Washington, D.C.,” she said. “DDOT staff will work with the universities to provide information about Capital Bikeshare during student orientations, on-campus outreach events.”