CONTRIBUTED BY AUBURN UNIVERSITY
AUBURN —
Auburn University is partnering with Spin, a leading micromobility company, to offer electric bike and scooter transportation for students, faculty, staff and visitors on campus starting Jan. 16.
The new modes of transportation offer an eco-friendly option for traversing campus, and they incorporate such safety features as “no ride zones” and “slow ride zones” at various locations. The zones are visible within a Spin mobile phone app that is used to book and pay for the use of the e-bike or e-scooter and that can slow or redirect the e-bike or e-scooter involving “no ride” or “slow ride” zones.
Auburn’s agreement with Spin is for a minimum of three years and will launch Jan. 16 with an initial fleet of 100 e-bikes and 100 e-scooters that will be available for operation from 5 a.m. to midnight daily. Specific locations will be designated for where the devices should be parked on campus.
“We are very excited to announce this partnership with Spin,” said Arishna Lastinger, Auburn’s associate director of Parking Services. “During the last couple of years, we have been busy trying to find and develop a micromobility program that would best serve our campus. This program with Spin will not only include electronic assist bicycles, but it will also come with electronic scooters. Due to the nature of these new devices, we have also worked diligently to ensure that this new program is safe and beneficial to our students as well as our faculty and staff.”
Spin e-bikes will reach a top speed of 20 mph, while Spin e-scooters will have a top speed of 15 mph. The e-bikes and e-scooters will be deployed at designated locations across Auburn’s campus and will be discoverable in the Spin app.
“SGA is thrilled to partner with Spin to bring e-bikes and e-scooter rentals to our campus,” said John David Matthews, executive vice president of initiatives for Auburn’s Student Government Association, or SGA. “This is something that our students have consistently expressed interest in having on our campus. This addition to our campus is a tangible reminder of how Auburn strives to offer the best student experience in the country.”
The cost to ride will be $1 to unlock the e-scooter or e-bike plus a charge of 30 cents per minute of use. An additional pricing option offers a monthly $5.99 fee with no cost to unlock the e-scooter or e-bike plus the 30 cents per minute of use cost. There also will be a 24-hour Spin pass that will be priced at a total of $14.99 per day.
“The campus footprint of Auburn University offers an excellent use case for micromobility,” said Derek Stehlin, manager for Campus and Government Partnerships at Spin. “We’re thrilled about the opportunity to bring a safe, equitable and sustainable transportation solution to the campus community in partnership with the university.”
Headquartered in San Francisco, Spin is a leading micromobility company that operates shared e-scooter and e-bike progams in partnership with universities and cities across North America.
To download the Spin app www.spin.app/.
ABOUT AUBURN
UNIVERSITY
Auburn University is a nationally ranked land grant institution recognized for its commitment to world-class scholarship, interdisciplinary research with an elite, top-tier Carnegie R1 classification, life-changing outreach with Carnegie’s Community Engagement designation and an undergraduate education experience second to none. Auburn is home to more than 30,000 students, and its faculty and research partners collaborate to develop and deliver meaningful scholarship, science and technology-based advancements that meet pressing regional, national and global needs. Auburn’s commitment to active student engagement, professional success and public/private partnership drives a growing reputation for outreach and extension that delivers broad economic, health and societal impact.
