By: Lauren Spencer
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (UATV) – The University of Arkansas has two micro-mobility share programs, Spin and Veo, that provides electric scooters and bikes for people to use on campus and in the community.
They introduced these vehicles on campus in 2019, and their popularity has grown ever since.
“You can imagine you’re at the bus stop and the bus is running late and there’s a scooter and you only have 2 minutes to get to class so you hop on a scooter and you zip up the hill and you park it at a spot and you’re at your desk in time” said Ammen Jordan, Active Transportation Coordinator for the Office for Sustainability.
According to the city of Fayetteville in 2021 there were 496,000 rides averaging over two and a half miles per day.
Safety can be challenging when riding scooters.
“They’ve gotten into accidents with vehicles, they’ve gotten into accidents with objects and things like that and some just crash because they’re not used to riding,” said Sie Singmuongthong, UAPD Officer. “When go across the street they’re supposed to walk the scooter but that doesn’t always happen.”
In 2021, the number of violations given out for riders on scooters almost tripled the number in 2020.
“Some of these scooters are really fast it presents a danger not just to vehicles but also pedestrians,” said Singmuongthong.
It’s important to use your voice or bell when approaching on a scooter as well as avoid streets and populated sidewalks.
People also must be cautious where they park the vehicle. “Don’t block a door, don’t block a handicap button. Don’t park it in grass where it’s likely to fall over,” said Jordan.
Overall, it’s important to just be cautious.
“They don’t have to be hazardous vehicles as long as you’re using your brain” said Jordan.
The University of Arkansas recently partnered with Spin for discounted e-Scooter pricing for Pell Grant recipients and low-income students. This program is intended to make micro-mobility a more affordable option. Students can apply for these discounted rates here.