University of Toledo to Launch Electric Scooter Sharing on Campus

TOLEDO, OH – The University of Toledo (UT) is bringing electric scooters to campus.

Beginning fall semester, the university will launch its electric scooter sharing program through a company called Lime.

More than 100 battery-powered scooters will be available for students, faculty, and staff to rent through a smartphone app starting fall semester.

UT is debuting the green, alternative transportation service to benefit students, faculty, and staff.

“This pioneering program offers an innovative way to more easily move around campus,” UT President Sharon L. Gaber says. “It builds on what we started with our Rocket Wheels bike sharing program. Only in this case, you need to download an app to your smartphone and pay for each ride.”

UT is starting with 125 electric scooters and plans to double that depending on demand.

The battery-powered scooters will be located at multiple “hot spots” across the University’s Main Campus, with users locating and unlocking them through the free Lime app. After reaching their destination, riders then lock the scooter with the app.

Users are charged $1 by Lime to unlock a scooter, plus 15 cents per minute.

The Lime app shows real-time scooter locations, making it easy for users to find a scooter throughout campus. Every evening, all scooters will be collected by Lime, fully charged, and returned to their original hot spots for use the next day.

The 250-watt motored scooters, which have a maximum speed up to approximately 14.8 miles per hour and are equipped with safety features, will be limited to on-campus use only.

“Because Lime assumes all responsibility for the scooters and their maintenance, the new program will not cost the university anything,” says Larry Kelley, UT executive vice president for finance and administration, and chief financial officer. “Along with our partnership with TARTA, this scooter sharing program is yet another example of how UT is striving to provide an exceptional experience for our students.”

Read more about the scooters here.

Featured

  • Western Kentucky University, Gilbane Announce “Elevate WKU” Partnership

    Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Ky., recently announced that it has reached the financial close on a on a public-private partnership (P3) with Gilbane Development, according to a news release.

  • Architectural Power for the Modern Campus Landscape

    For generations, an outdoor classroom only required a textbook and a patch of grass. Today, not only has the laptop replaced the printed pages, the rise of agile learning has turned campuses into study halls with students listening to lectures and researching topics from quads, gardens, and plazas. The challenge for architects and facility managers is to provide connectivity without cluttering the landscape with visual eyesores or creating safety hazards with extension cords.

  • Hawaii Elementary School Reopens Following $25M Campus Modernization

    Haʻaheo Elementary School in Hilo, Hawaii, has reopened to students following a three-year, $25-million campus modernization and expansion project that significantly increases the school's instructional space while preserving one of the island's oldest educational institutions, according to local news.

  • Cleveland High School Breaks Ground on Modernization

    Portland Public Schools in Portland, Ore., recently announced that construction has begun on a modernization project for Cleveland High School, according to a news release. The existing building will be replaced with a new, 300,000-square-foot facility at the same site.