University partners with City of Athens to offer electric scooter transportation option

A new transportation option will be available on Monday, November 4 when Spin, a company owned by Ford Motor Co., deploys 100 electric scooters (e-scooters) throughout campus and surrounding neighborhoods.

“These electric scooters are designed to provide an effortless experience for their riders,” said Director of Ohio University Transportation and Parking Services Tia Hysell. “We have worked closely with campus stakeholders and our city partners for the past year to offer this new, green transportation alternative for students, faculty, staff and community members.”

E-Scooters, which are available through a phone application (Spin-Electric Scooters), can be rented at a rate of $1 per ride and $.29 per minute. Enter discount code BOBCATSPIN for $5 off your first ride. Spin Access provides access to e-scooters for individuals without smartphones or credit cards – additional information on this service is available at: https://www.spin.app/spin-access. Riders must be 18-years of-age or older to rent an e-scooter.

According to Hysell, safety was top of mind during planning discussions. She explained, “Ohio University is committed to supporting sustainability through the use of safe, reliable and affordable transportation accommodations on campus. The introduction of shared mobility devices such as e-scooters will supplement existing multi-modal options available to our campus community.”

Operating hours for the e-scooters are 6 a.m. – 9 p.m. daily, weather permitting. Since e-scooters do not deploy during inclement weather, Spin e-scooters will be unavailable for rental between Dec. 15 – Feb. 15.  Riders may also have limited access to the scooters during high-traffic weekends and events on campus.

College Green is a designated campus “no ride” zone, and the city has also implemented a “no ride zone” on Court Street (from the Union Street intersection to Carpenter Street). Cross-streets to Court Street will have access. Any temporary “no ride” or “slow ride” zones will be designated accordingly within the Spin-Electric Scooters app.

Helmet use is highly encouraged for all e-scooter riders. Spin will be on hand for safety events in Athens to demonstrate device use and address customer inquiries on Saturday, October 26 on North Court Street (1 p.m. – 3 p.m.) and on Thursday, October 31 at the top of Baker University Center (3 p.m. – 5 p.m.) or at the Athens Community Center (7 – 8 p.m.). Free helmets will be provided (as supplies last) for the October 31^st safety events. To purchase a helmet, riders can connect with Spin Customer Service 1-888-262-5189 or support@spin.pm for a promo code and additional information.

For campus use, OHIO will designate specific locations on campus for e-scooter parking. Devices should be returned to these designated parking locations following use to assist with deployment and service re-balancing efforts. Authorized campus parking locations will be marked with e-scooter parking emblems (see photo). While users may also utilize campus bike racks users are encouraged to utilize the designated parking areas rather than stand-alone bike racks when possible to avoid congestion and ensure adequate parking for bicyclists and active transportation users.

Users are also encouraged to ensure that devices are not parked within a manner which impedes pedestrian pathways, building ingress or egress, blocks vehicle parking spaces, stairwells or ADA access or ramps. E-Scooter parking should not disrupt campus landscaping.

The City of Athens will not be designating specific parking locations but will allow parking in a neat and orderly fashion along sidewalks ensuring that users do not block pedestrian or ADA access or building ingress and egress.

Spin provides a 24-hour Customer Service Line 1-888-262-5189 and email support support@spin.pm.  Customer Care phone numbers are also listed on each e-scooter device for easy reference, individuals are encouraged to reach out to Spin directly to report improper e-scooter parking, scooter damage or maintenance needs, or for service/account questions and concerns.

E-scooter users are reminded to ride responsibly, obey the rules of the roadway, adhere to traffic signs and signals and yield to pedestrians. Riders are reminded that scooters should be operated for single occupancy use only and helmet use is strongly encouraged.

Spin has provided a safety video and FAQs to encourage rider safety. 

Ohio University Transportation and Parking Services offers e-scooter operating best practices online at https://www.ohio.edu/transportation-parking/shared-active-transportation-programs.