Duke students expressed a mix of enthusiasm and disinterest in using scooters to get around campus following a decision by Duke Parking and Transportation Services to add Spin electric bikes and scooters on campus on Aug. 30.
Duke has allowed students to operate electric scooters on campus since 2019, coinciding with the introduction of the scooters to Durham. Students can now rent scooters and e-bikes by paying $1 to start and 46 cents per minute to ride using the Spin app.
Scooters or e-bikes cannot be ridden through dismount zones designated by the University — including the East Campus Quad, Sarah P. Duke Gardens, Abele Quad, Bryan Center Plaza and the Athletic Department campus — which use GPS tracking to halt Spin scooters and e-bikes. Students’ personal scooters and e-bikes do not stop in “dead zones,” though they are still not permitted to ride in these areas.
Although many Duke athletes use scooters to navigate campus, athletes do not receive privileged access to the service.
According to first-year John Hiller, an athlete on the men’s golf team, student-athletes often pay for scooters to save time within their busy schedules and to commute to the athletic campus, where finding parking can be a challenge.
“I just wonder if people had a better understanding of the fact that students could just buy one and that many of the students who have one have purchased it, that there might be a different sense around [scooters],” said Candis Watts Smith, professor of political science and vice provost for undergraduate education, regarding students who may feel negatively towards the presence of scooters on campus.
Students shared mixed feelings about the utility of scooters on campus.
“The biggest pros are just having the liberty of going around wherever I want,” said junior Gabriel Reis.
He explained that as a former marketing employee for Duke Athletics, he could complete his commute to Koskinen Stadium — which was a 15 minute walk — in about four minutes by scooter. He also noted being able to scooter to East Campus within 10 minutes, which he noted as taking less time than riding the C1, which can make frequent stops.
Senior Murilo Calegari has found scooters a useful transportation method in other cities he has lived in. However, Calegari pointed to “expensive” scooter rates around East Campus and a lack of bike lanes in Durham as an obstacle to scootering.
“I don’t feel very safe riding [a scooter] on main roads in Durham,” he said.
Duke Parking and Transportation Services outlines safety regulations for scooters on campus, which include wearing a helmet, observing traffic regulations and riding alone. Additionally, riding scooters is only permitted from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.
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