My wife and I are considering getting our incoming freshman daughter a motor scooter to get around campus and near campus. We saw a bunch of kids using them on our visits and know a few students who use them. When I was a student at UF you were lucky to have a bike. What is the prevailing thought these days? She’ll be living at Beaty, so she can certainly walk to class like I did, but I can see where a scooter could come in handy.
I would be curious to learn more about scooter-culture as well. UF was only campus I’ve ever seen them. Can you rent them locally?
I haven’t seen any rental places, just sales.
I may be mistaken, but I thought that all were assigned a golf cart at UF upon enrollment. I think that it may be a law in Florida. Again, I am not certain and could be wrong.
@Publisher, you’re thinking of Sun City and the Villages. ツ
Guilty of excessive golf cart usage near Palm Beach …
I fear if I look at my D’s pro/con list for colleges that scooter will we at top of UF pro!
I always thought a bike was the best way to get around if you live on campus.
@Publisher They do, but it’s electrical, you have to pay extra for gas powered carts.
@Gator88NE Forget the stinkin car magnets and t-shirts! You have seriously raised the bar on UF fandom. Serious golf cart envy. I just had some sorry rental from Dever.
Lots of people have scooters, but for God’s sake get her a helmet and make her promise to wear it! (Scooter vs. Car: Who will win?? Not the scooter and not the scooter driver’s head…)
We’ve pretty much decided on the scooter (with helmet). Now we are trying to decide if she needs a car. With Zipcar right outside her dorm, that seems like a better option on the rare occasion she needs a car than paying for a parking decal for her car and then trying to find a parking spot.
I guess at Florida snowflakes aren’t an issue-or are they?
Parking at UF is a PIA no matter whether you’re student, faculty, or staff. I don’t know much about how the ZipCars work or how convenient they are-- but perhaps the best option would be to have her go car-free for a semester or two and see how it works out.
Be aware also that the bus system is free for anyone with a Gator One card. That can get her to the mall, downtown, and many other places. (info at go-rts.com ) The buses are clean, safe, and air-conditioned. They do not always run as frequently as one might wish, but they are an option.
D and I were in Gainesville to revisit UF this weekend. I have to say that I did not see a single kid riding their scooter with a helmet. This makes me a little nervous.
No, most of them don’t wear helmets. I sometimes feel like stopping them and give them a mom-like talking to! Funny, you see more helmets on bicyclists than scooter riders even though the scooter riders probably are at greater risk since they are more in traffic and can go faster.
Here’s a cautionary article about a student who suffered a head injury while riding a scooter with no helmet. She was hit by a slowly-turning vehicle at the edge of campus. https://www.alligator.org/news/campus/uf-alumna-gabby-recovering-after-crash/article_ed16a312-29e0-11e5-a7f4-27bd310a0323.html