Ohio University and the city of Athens partnered for the Feb. 18 launch of an e-scooter transportation option Uptown and on campus.
Spin, a company owned by Ford Motor Co., held an event Tuesday on the first floor of Baker Center, where it offered safety information, handed out helmets and answered questions about the scooters that were placed around campus.
Like with bicycles and skateboards, e-scooters are not permitted in certain areas Uptown and on campus, like College Green and Court Street. These zones will be designated as “no ride” or “slow ride” zones on the Spin-Electric Scooters app, according to a university press release.
While riders can park the e-scooters on bike racks around campus, OU encourages riders to park them in designated e-scooter parking areas to avoid congestion and allow room for bicycles, according to the release.
The city does not have designated e-scooter parking areas but asks that riders park them in “a neat and orderly fashion along sidewalks,” so as not to block entrances to buildings.
The e-scooters will be operational from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily — depending on the weather — and can be rented for $1 per ride and $.29 per minute. Spin has also provided a discount code for $5 off the first ride when riders use the code BOBCATSPIN on the app, according to the release.
Jace Johnston, a junior studying business management, tested out the scooters the day they were released. He believes that they will definitely help students get to where they’re trying to go.
“I think they benefit our campus because people will be able to get places faster, and they are really fun,” Johnston said.
Despite that, he won’t use the e-scooters often, he said.
“I’ll probably just use it just for a novelty ride right now,” Johnston said.
Tyler Devault, a junior studying political science, believes the scooters will become a hobby for students.
“I feel like people are going to get really good with them,” Devault said. “They can start doing tricks and stuff … I think a lot of people are just gonna have a really good time.”
