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E-scooters return to U. Central Florida as in-person classes resume

Scooters were removed from campus when the pandemic forced the university to close its doors and move online, but now as students return, so do the scooters.
Spin e-scooters
(Tony Webster)

Electric scooters returned to the University of Central Florida’s campus on Monday after being removed last year due to the pandemic.

The scooters, from the e-scooter company Spin, were originally brought to campus last spring to help students get around UCF’s 1,415-acre main campus more easily, according to the university. But after the COVID-19 pandemic halted in-person classes last March, the scooters were removed from campus along with its students.

Now, as UCF students return to campus for limited in-person classes this semester, scooters are once again available, but with new sanitation and safety measures, such as requiring users to complete an online safety test prior to their first ride and a 10-mph speed limit on campus. The university said it will also frequently disinfect its scooters and remind students though the Spin app to wash their hands before and after every ride.

“When COVID hit, we engaged global experts to determine how to keep our riders and staff safe. We’ve also been working closely with UCF students and administration for several months now to develop this new safety plan that we’ll roll out when we re-launch at the start of the spring semester,” Edward Sun, senior operations manager at Spin, said in a press release.

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And while Spin paused operations at UCF and other college campuses that closed their doors during the pandemic, including Purdue University in Indiana, Spin was asked to increase the availability of its scooters in several markets, according to the company, to fill transportation gaps after many public bus systems shut down during the pandemic.

The company said it’s also created a “task force” to monitor new COVID-19 guidelines and establish its new procedures using guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to ensure riders and the company’s employees stay safe during the health crisis.

Betsy Foresman

Written by Betsy Foresman

Betsy Foresman was an education reporter for EdScoop from 2018 through early 2021, where she wrote about the virtues and challenges of innovative technology solutions used in higher education and K-12 spaces. Foresman also covered local government IT for StateScoop, on occasion. Foresman graduated from Texas Christian University in 2018 — go Frogs! — with a BA in journalism and psychology. During her senior year, she worked as an intern at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C., and moved back to the capital after completing her degree because, like Shrek, she feels most at home in the swamp. Foresman previously worked at Scoop News Group as an editorial fellow.

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