Universities across the country are facing one of the most challenging years in recent history, asking: How do we balance the importance of in-person learning and instruction with the need to keep students, staff, and faculty safe?
As an important part of this calculation, transportation presents its own unique set of challenges for university administrators. In particular, as campus shuttles run at reduced capacity in line with CDC recommendations to promote social distancing, there is a clear need for additional modes of transportation.
Micro-mobility, and e-scooter programs in particular, are emerging as an innovative tool for universities to help address this new mobility gap in several key ways:
- Scooters offer an open-air, individual mode of transportation, which is in line with CDC recommendations
- Scooters have already proven immensely popular on university campuses, which means they can be both a new campus amenity, while also promoting physical distancing when moving to, from, or across campus
- Through strategic deployments, scooters can supplement reduced-capacity shuttle routes, with the potential to create new, cost-saving efficiencies
Once seen as a novel amenity for universities, for many of Spin’s partners scooters have become a vital component of campus transportation networks and very much a part of the new normal. Additionally, cities such as Portland, OR and Washington D.C. are encouraging scooter ridership and have even classified them an “essential service,” along with other modes of transportation. Shared scooters in today’s climate are one of the safest commuting options available.
Our campus partnerships team is busy working with many universities across the country, large and small, to help their campuses reopen safely and ensure that students, faculty, and staff have safe options for getting around. Spin’s mission is to give people the Freedom to Move, and that is what our focus is with college and university partnerships during the “new normal” of the Fall 2020 semester. Let us know how we can help you navigate the uncertain future and ensure a positive campus experience for your students.
