This past week, e-scooters from GoNow has been the talk of the town amongst student and other commuters on the Bult.

The e-scooters has been used as an environmentally friendly and cost effective form of transport on the Bult. It also has a GPS-tracker to ensure that scooters do not leave the demarcated areas.

The GoNow scooters are though prohibited on campus or any NWU premises. This was communicated to students via the eFundi platform on Wednesday, July 29.

“The university has not approved the use of e-scooters on its premises. This includes testing, any trial run, driving of such scooters or the establishment of parking areas or bays,” stated Louis Jacobs, spokesperson for the NWU and Director: Corporate Communication.

He stated that Go Now has approached the NWU.

“They (GoNow) were informed that should the NWU at any time consider allowing any company to make their product available to our students, such process will have to follow the NWU’s financial policy, which includes a competitive procurement process,” stated Jacobs.

“This company will have to prepare and submit a comprehensive operational plan to the university, and once such is submitted, the university will assess the feasibility thereof,” he explains further.

The NWU has stated that they however recognisethe potential benefits of introducing e-scooters, particularly in promoting environmental sustainability, reducing carbon emissions, and providing an alternative, convenient mode of transport for students and staff.

“The university is therefore supportive of exploring innovative and sustainable mobility solutions but will have to ensure full compliance with the university’s governance, legal and procurement requirements, as well as implementing appropriate measures to address safety, liability and operational risks. While the environmental advantages are acknowledged, compliance and the safety of the campus community remain of paramount importance.”

Mooirivier Beskerming monitors the e-scooters with 24/7 tracking and monitoring of the scooters from their control room.

“Roaming security patrols to help ensure that the scooters are not vandalized, damaged, or unlawfully removed from the demarcated areas,” added Mooirivier Beskerming on their Facebook page.