UT will use geofencing to limit e-scooter speed to 8 mph on campus this week

Riders using rented scooters on the 40 Acres will no longer be able to go faster than 8 mph, according to UT Austin.

The university said Bird, Jump, Lyft and Lime’s e-scooters will have speed restrictions on the lion’s share of the UT campus starting today. The decision comes at the suggestion of a campus safety group and was done in cooperation with the providers.

The entire UT campus will be geofenced, and its more populated inner campus will have a lower speed threshold of 8 mph. Northern and eastern stretches of campus, as well as the area around the Dell Seton Medical Center, will have a geofenced speed limit of 15 mph.

In its announcement, UT advised riders to keep in mind the scooters’ possible speed change when transitioning from geofenced areas.

“Riders should expect a change in scooter speed when entering and exiting the low speed zone,” the statement said. “This is normal and not an indication of a scooter malfunction.”

Below is a map of the geofenced areas from UT Austin.

This story was produced as part of the Austin Monitor’s reporting partnership with KUT. Photo by Jorge Sanhueza-Lyon/KUT.

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