First published May 13, 2022 in Stories Beneath the Shell.
by Kirstin Nichols
More than two months ago, the University of Maryland Department of Transportation Services said that Veo e-scooters and e-bikes may only be parked at designated e-scooter parking areas, bike racks, or covered bike parking areas.
It enforces that through a new geofence around parking areas, which acts like a virtual fence, only allowing a rider to end their ride in certain locations, DOTS said. If a rider leaves their scooter outside of the area, they continue to be charged until the vehicle is properly parked — 20 cents per minute for e-bikes and 25 cents per minute for e-scooters, plus the $1.00 fee to unlock the vehicle.
While some celebrate the cleaner sidewalks, some riders have found the new regulations to be a pain to deal with.
“I absolutely freaking hate the restricted scooter parking,” said Taha Jazzaa, a sophomore environmental engineering major.
Jazzaa said the Veo GPS isn’t always accurate, which can cause problems for him.
“It requires that I move closer to a Veo parking station when I’m already at the parking station,” said Jaazaa. “It can be very frustrating especially if I’m running late to class.”
It’s not the first time DOTS has required Veo bikes and e-scooters to be parked in certain places. When it introduced the program in fall 2019, e-scooter riders could only end their trips in designated geofenced e-scooter parking areas separate from bike racks, university spokesperson Hafsa Siddiqi said.
But Veo e-scooter users were unhappy with the system, complaining that more parking was needed. So DOTS permitted e-scooter riders to park at any campus bike rack in spring 2021, Siddiqi said. That didn’t go over so well with others.
“Abandoned e-scooters and e-biked create hazards for pedestrians and drivers, and can damage our environment,” Siddiqi said.
Arianna Bocchino uses Veo scooters to travel from her residence on south campus to her work at the Xfinity Center, where she interns for Maryland Athletics’ marketing department. She said that the new regulation adds extra hassle to her trip.
“It’s so inconvenient,” Bocchino, a sophomore marketing major, said. “Especially when I’m in a rush and need to just leave it. Sometimes I don’t have time to search for a parking spot and walk the rest of the way.”
Justin Kouroupis, a sophomore engineering major, said that making riders find a proper parking spot has its benefits.
“It will help reduce the clutter of the sidewalks if Veo controls parking,” Kouroupis said. “It will be nice for those who walk everywhere they go.”
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