ASU has already impounded nearly 100 electric scooters on campus

Rachel Leingang | The Republic | azcentral.com

Show Caption Hide Caption Tempe and Scottsdale get electric rideshare scooters Tempe and Scottsdale have taken very different approaches to electric rideshare scooters that have arrived in the two cities.

Arizona State University has impounded nearly 100 dockless electric scooters in the four days since the school announced that it would start impounding any left on campus.

ASU announced Nov. 16 that it would impound scooters on campus. The school had previously "reminded" scooter companies that it had a longstanding ban on such modes of transportation. But not everyone heeded the ban, and scooters were still being used and parked on campus.

In the few days since the impounding announcement, ASU has scooped up 94 scooters, university spokesman Jerry Gonzalez said.

Of the 94 impounded scooters, 83 were from Bird, a dockless scooter company based in California. Six impounded scooters were owned by Razor, and five by Lime.

Impound fees start at $100 per scooter and run up to $250 with additional violations. It was not immediately clear whether the customers or the companies would be responsible for the impound fees.

The impounding is the latest move on the ASU campus as electric dockless scooters have taken off in the past year. On social media, people have complained about nearly being hit by someone riding a bike or about scooters being locked to bike racks.

The school recently set up designated parking zones on the outer boundaries of campus. People can ride scooters to the edge of campus and park them there.

A map of the scooter parking areas shows spots throughout the Tempe campus that would allow hundreds of scooters to be parked.

Here's how the scooters work: People can use them by signing up via each company's app. They scan a code on the scooters and are charged by the minute to ride them.

MORE: After ASU bans electric scooters, University of Arizona announces its own ban

The scooters can go up to 15 mph and last about 15 miles per charge. Riders can dock them wherever they stop. The companies typically pick up the scooters daily to charge them.

ASU made clear in October that electric scooters were banned on campus according to an existing university policy. The university said it would be working with the scooter companies, students and the city of Tempe to devise an "appropriate model" for the companies to operate.

In a statement after the impound announcement last week, Bird said it would partner with the university to "investigate each incident and take necessary action" if its scooters were impounded on campus.

Bird also said it provides an in-app tutorial for riders and requires them to take a photo of where they park their scooter after a ride.

Bird emailed its ASU riders about the new rules, according to social media posts. The email said incorrectly parked scooters "may result in a fine for any rider not parking in the ASU designated parking areas on campus."

ASU isn't the only campus that has impounded scooters. At Michigan State University, at least 100 scooters have been impounded by campus police because they were parked where they shouldn't have been.

While electric dockless scooters are not in use in Tucson, the University of Arizona also announced a ban on the devices on campus.

In Tempe, city leaders are working on potential regulations for the scooters, including limiting the number of scooters, charging fees or requiring scooters to be moved or restaged.

Reach reporter Rachel Leingang by email or by phone at 602-444-8157, or find her on Twitter and Facebook.

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