ORLANDO, Fla. – Students at the University of Central Florida will soon have a quicker way to get to and from class.
Come January, Spin will bring e-scooters and 12 charging stations to campus for students, staff and visitors to use. UCF Park and Transportation Services will oversee the program.
University officials said student government spent the fall semester developing a proposal that met students’ needs. Students tested the program to evaluate features and provide feedback.
Users will need to download the Spin app to purchase a rental. Scooters will cost $1 to unlock and 15 cents per minute. Eligible students will receive a discount.
"Our entire executive cabinet has been working diligently these past months to bring this new and exciting service to UCF,” said Kevin Olsen, student government’s director of community affairs. ”Getting to this point took a lot of coordination and cooperation between Student Government, the UCF administration and the UCF Police Department to ensure that we have a program that is safe and accessible to everyone.”
Olsen said students are excited about the new program.
“This has been one of the most popular platform points and we are proud to be partnered with a company that we know will cater to UCF students’ needs,” Olsen said. “There’s no doubt that this will add to the already positive atmosphere of our campus, improving the lives of current students and generations of Knights to come."
John Lankford, who works with the university partnerships department at Spin, said that before the program launches, they’re working to ensure that riders know how to safely use the scooters.
A curfew, speed regulations in pedestrian-heavy areas and a restriction from leaving campus are all regulations designed to keep the community safe.
“Our partnership with UCF was focused on co-designing a safe scooter program tailored to campus needs,” Lankford said. “We’re especially excited about a series of pre-launch safety events that we’re developing with the students. Studies show safety incidents are more likely to occur during a riders first time using an e-scooter. We’re working to prevent this by having a presence on campus in the weeks prior to launch.”
The first pre-launch safety event will be held Wednesday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Memory Mall. Helmets will be given away at that event and others.
Users will also be encouraged to park scooters at one of the 12 charging stations, or Spin Hubs, located throughout campus.