Electric scooters come to OSU. Here's how it's going

Oct 25, 2024

Veo bikes parked in front of Washington Street Liquor in Corvallis on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024.

Oregon State University is getting into the electric scooter craze.

Starting in August, through a joint effort with OSU’s student government and the university’s transportation services office, OSU launched a pilot e-bike and scooter program.

The aim: to offer more sustainable transportation options for students and staff on the go, and to cut down on solo car trips to campus.

Do unhoused people know where to go in Corvallis? Well, the city has outlined where they shouldn't be: near creeks, rivers, wetlands, sidewalks or within 20 feet of trees.

That’s according to Sarah Bronstein, OSU’s sustainable transportation manager, who said the project, so far, has seen over 50,000 rides total and 7,000 unique riders, though there's no ridership target.

“To us, (the number) indicates that there is a need and that we’re filing that need in some way,” she said.

That doesn’t mean there haven’t been some parking hiccups along the way.

Oregon State University is bringing micromobility to campus with a fleet of electric scooters and pedal-powered bikes. So far, there have been over 50,000 rides since the pilot started in August.

Complaints have come in about bikes and scooters being parked outside designated spots in nearby neighborhoods, though Bronstein said those instances are eclipsed by responsible e-bike riders, and that it's a diminishing issue.

Still, the pilot’s service boundary — the area where e-bikes and scooters are allowed to travel — was reduced earlier this month in response to those concerns, she said, while the project's vendor looks to find more property owners willing to offer parking spaces.

That’s because Veo, the company bringing micromobility transportation to OSU, can’t have its vehicles parked on any public right of way or sidewalks per rules set by the city of Corvallis in 2019.

Those rules essentially prohibit e-bikes and scooters beyond the university’s boundaries, according to the city's public information officer, Patrick Rollens.

The pilot program was student-initiated, according to Bronstein, who said members of OSU's student government approached the Transportation Services Office back in 2022 about partnering on a campus bike-sharing operation.

The aims for such a program aligned with the Transportation Office’s sustainability goals approved by the university in 2020. Among those goals: reducing the university’s “drive-alone” rate — or the rate of single-occupancy vehicle trips made to OSU — from 30% to 20% by 2030.

After a year of planning, students and transportation staff arrived at a contract with Veo, which is offering a fleet of 350 e-scooters and 50 pedal-powered bikes.

Unlike Pedal Corvallis, the city’s pedal-powered bike sharing program that shuttered in 2020 after experiencing low ridership and which was supported financially in part by sponsorships, Veo’s business model is user-fee supported, Bronstein said. OSU doesn't foot the bill.

Rides on Veo’s seated scooters cost $1 to unlock, and then $0.39 per minute thereafter.

The company’s pedal-powered Halo bikes are free to unlock and cost $1 for every 30 minutes of travel. Those transactions are handled through the Veo app, and discounted rates are available for anyone receiving local, state or federal benefits.

Ridership data so far shows the most frequented destinations on campus are the Dixon Recreation Center, Memorial Union and residence and dining halls, plus the area around the Dutch Bros and the OSU Beaver Store, according to Bronstein.

Veo's electric scooters — this model is called a Cosmo — costs riders $1 to unlock and $0.39 per minute to ride.

Additionally, she said the service boundary for Veo's operation has expanded in certain areas since launching in late summer, including near the apartments south of campus, as far north as the Fred Meyer on Kings Boulevard and as far east as Fourth Street.

“We were interested in making it as convenient as possible for students to live in Corvallis and get to and from campus without a car,” Bronstein said.

All rides, which have max speeds of 15 mph, must end at designated parking sites, such as bike racks on campus or places where there’s an agreement with a private property owner, all marked on the Veo app.

Riders themselves face a geofence that once crossed, slows their scooter or bike to a complete stop.

Still, getting all riders to follow those parking rules is another story.

In response to an email inquiry about resident concerns over the pilot program, Councilor Charlyn Ellis, whose Ward 5 borders OSU's campus along Northwest Monroe Avenue and Arnold Way, said Bronstein was getting email complaints from neighbors about scooters and bikes.

Complaints, Bronstein said, had come in about those vehicles being left in OSU’s outlying neighborhoods first included in the operation’s service area to make it easier for folks to make trips through less busy streets.

The problem is those routes don’t have sanctioned parking spots.

“In recognition of the fact that we were never going to be able to provide parking in those neighborhoods, we’ve actually drawn the service area back now, excluding some of those neighborhoods that were originally included,” Bronstein said.

Electric scooters, like this one, have to be parked at designated spots marked on the Veo app. Sarah Bronstein, OSU's sustainable transportation manager, however, said she's seen complaints about e-scooters and bikes left behind in outlying neighborhoods, and that service area has been updated in response.

Over the last three weeks, portions of Ward 5, Bronstein said, along with portions of the College Hill neighborhood, had been removed from the pilot’s service area.

In terms of incident reports related to mis-parked vehicles, Bronstein said Veo was still compiling that data.

She said a learning curve was expected, and this was a diminishing issue. She also said some people carried understandings from other communities that had implemented similar scooter and bike-sharing systems, where vehicles could be left on the edge of a sidewalk.

That's not the case in Corvallis, where the city has banned their use, with officials previously citing left-behind bikes and scooters as a concern.

Bronstein said Veo was working on a finalized service map to be published on the pilot project’s website.

She added that if riders don't park their vehicles in a geo-fenced parking spot, the app doesn't end the trip, and the cost can accrue to a total fare of $100.

"We're hoping that doesn't need to happen very often for an individual to correct their behavior," she said.

Looking toward the future, an advisory group that includes students and representatives from various OSU departments including housing, dining and public safety will be reviewing ridership data and incident reports quarterly.

In a statement, Alexis Hadinger, the environmental sustainability coordinator for OSU's student government, said students like having the option of the Veo bikes and scooters on campus.

"We are looking forward to expanding the program and continuing to make it more accessible for students," she said.

Bronstein wants to make sure the project is filling a need in the community, she said. Bigger picture goals for students include enhancing transportation safety and campus quality of life.

“It’s still really early days in understanding what this pilot program will look like,” she said.

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