Students to Test VeoRide Electric Scooters on Campus
JONESBORO – Arkansas State University will host a test of electric scooters this fall from its campus mobility partner, VeoRide, Chancellor Kelly Damphousse announced this week.
“I met with our SGA Executive Council this week and they asked to have the option of using scooters on campus, so we are interested to see how well they will fit into our A-State experience,” Damphousse said.
Using the VeoRide app, individuals rent the scooters by the minute. On the campus dockless bicycle share, rental is for 15 minutes at a time.
“Since getting bikes on campus it seemed like the next thing students wanted to see were scooters at A-State,” Student Government Association President Erika Tuck said. “This summer the chancellor invited members of SGA to test ride the scooters as well as holding a discussion to hear our thoughts. Scooters would provide an additional mode of transportation along with some fun.”
“A-State students have recently expressed to me their interest in bringing scooters to our campus,” SGA Vice-President Drew Roberson added. “After discussing the idea with Dr. Damphousse, SGA believes scooters would offer a convenient and more efficient way to navigate the campus as well as a fun recreational activity. SGA looks forward to encouraging safe and responsible use of the bikes and scooters that A-State is privileged to have.”
Along with student feedback, an important reason for allowing the test rollout by VeoRide has been their performance since taking over the campus dockless bike share last year.
“We’ve been pleased with the work VeoRide has done in the last year to keep the bicycle fleet groomed and tidy on campus,” Damphousse stressed. “We are counting on them to do the same with scooters, but also for our students, faculty, and staff to respect the need to keep doorways clear and ride responsibly on our campus PAC Paths. (Executive Vice Chancellor) Len Frey and I tested the scooters out earlier this summer, and they seem well-built and relatively easy to use.”
The first scooters are expected to arrive early in the fall 2019 semester, and will be limited to the campus through a geofence. The scooters will power down and shut off if taken outside the perimeter of the main A-State campus.
Representatives of VeoRide will host safety and instructional events this fall for A-State students, starting at the annual Community and Organization Fair during Welcome Week.
Arkansas State was the first university in the state to host a dockless bicycle share program for its students, upgrading its bicycles last year to the VeoRide models. A-State is now among the first to have both bicycle and scooter micro-mobility transportation available for its on-campus residents.
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