Fresno State bans e-scooters as UCLA tightens rules

e-scooters debate – From Fresno State’s complete ban starting this fall to UCLA’s surge in citations for unsafe riding, California campuses are being forced to redraw the micromobility rules. Students are split—some point to injuries and near-misses, others say scooters are a vit

For some students at California universities, the fastest way across campus has also become the most dangerous. At Fresno State. electric scooters. skateboards and other “e-vehicles” are set to disappear from campus starting this fall after the university reviewed safety data. At UCLA. campus police have ramped up enforcement. issuing more than 100 citations for speeding or riding e-scooters unsafely from September through November.

The debate is no longer theoretical. It plays out in falls, in urgent care visits, in the frustration of students who say enforcement is inconsistent, and in the everyday reality that many athletes and commuters rely on scooters to save minutes.

Fresno State moves toward a full ban

Selene Garcia. a third-year business administration student at Fresno State. said she “wanted to join the fun” after seeing many students use e-scooters to navigate the commuter campus. Garcia said she never injured anyone while riding. but she acknowledged aggressive behavior by some riders helped push the university toward a ban.

“I can’t control the ones that don’t follow the rules and are reckless, but if [a ban] is going to control accidents, then it needs to happen,” Garcia said. “I am sad I won’t be able to use my electric scooter, but we have to respect the university.”

Fresno State’s policy—first allowed electric scooters in 2018. with scooter parking installed in 2022—will begin this fall with a complete ban on electric scooters on campus. The rules apply to all students, employees and visitors. Devices used for people with mobility disabilities and state vehicles will be exempt.

Matt Hawkins. Fresno State’s vice president of administration and chief financial officer. said in an April 24 email that students who use e-vehicles on campus will be in violation of the university’s student code of conduct. He added that any vehicle left unattended will be considered abandoned and may be impounded and transferred to the lost and found.

A Fresno State spokesperson said in an emailed statement to EdSource that students will not have to pay a fee to retrieve their motorized vehicle from the lost and found. The spokesperson also said repeated offenders could face punishment.

“While citations will not be issued to individuals [for riding scooters], students who repeatedly violate the policy may be referred to student conduct,” the spokesperson said.

For Marina Soares, a third-year broadcast journalism student, the change feels urgent. She said she originally did not mind other students riding around on e-vehicles, until she was hit by a student riding too fast on an e-scooter in a no-wheels zone on campus.

“Too many riders use the excuse of students not paying attention [as] to why they’re getting hit, but we never blame pedestrians for getting hit by a car,” Soares said. “Why is it not the same for those riding a scooter?”

At UCLA, citations are rising—and so is the sense of risk

UCLA’s approach has been enforcement-heavy rather than outright prohibition. Campus police ramped up stops and citations over the last year, issuing more than 100 citations to students for speeding or riding e-scooters unsafely from September through November, according to the Daily Bruin.

Macey Matias, a second-year psychobiology student at UCLA, said she fell after accelerating on a Bird electric scooter—an on-campus rental—at around 15 miles per hour. She described making a sharp turn and losing control.

Matias said she sought urgent care at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center the next day, leaving the building with a sling on her left arm. Before the incident, she said she rode a scooter once a week.

Although Matias said she used electric scooters for enjoyment, she said she stopped riding after the injury and deleted the Bird app.

“She believes students who use scooters should prioritize personal safety, including wearing protective gear.

“People have scooters just to get from point A to point B faster,” she said. “But if it’s at the expense of your safety, then what’s the point?”

Not every student sees scooters as a problem. Kayla Chung. a freshman on UCLA’s Division I women’s tennis team. said her electric scooter has been a time-saving resource. She said almost all of the UCLA athletes she knows use an e-scooter every day. moving between classes. errands in Westwood. the tennis courts. and her dorm.

“Whether it’s going to classes, going to run errands in Westwood, or back and forth between the tennis courts and my dorm, it’s been a huge help,” said Chung, a first-year economics and psychology student.

Chung said a ban would disrupt her schedule, because she would have to account for the slower pace of walking.

“I personally make an effort to ride cautiously at all times,” Chung said. “I trust myself to ride responsibly, and I hope that other riders approach scooter use with the same level of caution.”

A UCLA Transportation spokesperson said in an email that the university does not anticipate a ban on electric personal devices in the foreseeable future. The spokesperson said motorized vehicles are permitted if used safely. and added: “These devices are an important transportation option for many Bruins. particularly students traveling short distances across and around campus.”.

Different campuses, different answers to the same tension

Across California, universities are wrestling with one question in different ways: is the solution to remove micromobility—or redesign it so fewer riders feel they can ignore the rules?

At UC Irvine. motorized scooters and bikes are banned on campus. and the university police department is responsible for enforcing the ban. Kylie Jones, a second-year biology student, said rules can be ignored when enforcement is inconsistent. She recalled a recent close call with an e-scooter rider who left her “fuming” because the rider did not apologize.

“There is either a large majority of people who are not following the rules and being unsafe, or a loud minority who ruin it for anyone else and are constantly being unsafe,” Jones said.

Another UCI student. Mary Froberg. rides a mountain bike every day and said she relies on alternatives to driving. including e-scooters. to get to campus. She said UCI’s infrastructure makes it difficult for students who ride electric and manual vehicles alike to maintain traffic safety on campus. Froberg said improvements—such as protected bike lanes—could eliminate the need for a ban.

“E-scooters and e-bikes are a pretty ideal mode of transit for a lot of people,” Froberg said. “They don’t emit greenhouse gases, assuming you charge them using clean energy.”

At Sacramento State. Eden Kirsch. a manual bicycle rider. said they have not seen signs that clearly indicate the speed limits for scooters and bikes. nor have they seen campus police enforce speeding rules. Sacramento State prohibits motorized bikes and scooters in pedestrian lanes. wearing earbuds while riding. riding with passengers and operating “in a manner determined to be reckless.”.

Kirsch does not use an e-bike, but said banning them is unrealistic. The student suggested that monitoring safety could happen differently—such as adding radar speed signs around campus.

“Some people are commuting from further [away] or have mobility issues,” Kirsch said. “I feel like just enforcing safety would be the thing to do.”

At Cal State Dominguez Hills, administrators are reviewing the on-campus micromobility policy. The goal is to usher in electric scooters and bikes, along with the addition of riding lanes around campus.

Lilly McKibbin, a university spokesperson, said in an email that officials decided to add bike lanes after 75% of campus community members responded positively to the idea in a fall 2024 transportation survey.

Moises Gomez, a fourth-year kinesiology student at CSUDH, said he is open to electric scooters around campus and expects the number of scooters on campus to increase because of the new official policy.

“I don’t really have an issue with the e-scooters. unless I get hit by one. because sometimes I feel like without warning they will be within inches of you. just darting past you. ” Gomez said. “I don’t really like when they’re on the walkway. It feels like an inconvenience to both of us. because they are trying to get to where they are going. and I’m just trying not to watch my back.”.

The through-line is simple: scooters offer speed and convenience. but campuses are increasingly focused on what happens when riders go too fast—or when rules aren’t clear enough for everyone sharing the same space. Fresno State is choosing a hard stop starting this fall. UCLA is tightening enforcement now. And other schools are considering whether lane changes and infrastructure upgrades can reduce the collisions that drive policy in the first place.

Natalia Mochernak is a second-year student at UCLA majoring in communication and Spanish; Amanda Velasco is a second-year public affairs student at UCLA; Mariam Farag is a third-year political science and literary journalism major at UC Irvine; Ethan Beck is a third-year transfer student at Fresno State majoring in mass communications and journalism; Sapphire Perez is a senior at CSU Dominguez Hills; Olivia Muñoz is a second-year student at Los Angeles Pierce College studying journalism and film; and Amelia Angeles is a fourth-year literary journalism major at UC Irvine. They are members of the EdSource California Student Journalism Corp.

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