AUSTIN (KXAN) — The city of Austin has gotten its fair share of complaints about electric scooters parked in places they shouldn’t be, and now the University of Texas may start impounding them if riders don’t follow the rules when it comes to parking.

UT’s campus began swarming with electric scooters when students headed back to class.

“Every time I step outside, there’s someone on a Bird scooter or a LimeBike scooter,” said student John Acabado.

Students have also noticed them blocking walkways, stairways and even doors.

“I’ve seen them parked in the craziest places,” said Stephanie Guck.

UT Parking and Transportation says too many are being left in the way. And because scooters fall under the same set of rules as bikes, any time one is parked somewhere other than near a bike rack, Parking and Transportation can enforce a $150 impound fee. That’s charged to the company, which can, in turn, charge the rider.

“That’s not money you want to be throwing away,” Guck said. “That’s like a whole textbook, right there.”

The university is warning students first — hoping it doesn’t go that far. Staff members are even moving scooters closer to bike racks, for the time being, to show students where they should be parked.

If UT Parking and Transportation does end up having to impound scooters, it will be those blocking areas like sidewalks, handicap accessible ramps and building entrances.

Bird and LimeBike are working with UT, sending out warning notifications to everyone using their apps on campus.

LimeBike sent a statement, saying, “We currently have in-app messages going out to riders this week in and around campus in conjunction with UT’s internal communications. In addition, Lime operations team members are on the ground throughout Austin to proactively remove any scooters they come across that are improperly parked and are available to help all riders properly park.”

Bird also sent a statement, saying, “The University of Texas at Austin shares our vision of getting cars off the road to reduce traffic and carbon emissions. We are partnering with University officials to educate riders on the proper way to ride and park Birds. If any scooters are impounded on campus, Bird will partner with University officials to investigate each incident and take necessary action.”

UT police are also treating people who use scooters as cyclists, meaning officers can ticket people who break traffic laws. Right now, they’re starting with warnings, but they warn riders could eventually be cited.

“We seek voluntary compliance and safety first. However, if we see dangerous scooter activity we will enforce state traffic laws,” UTPD said in a statement.