Colleges Increasingly Ban E-Bikes on Campus Citing Safety Concerns

Several colleges and universities are instituting bans on electric bikes and scooters on campus for the upcoming school year. The move comes despite the growing popularity of e-bikes as a sustainable and convenient mode of transport among students.
Safety issues are the primary reason behind these bans. Schools are pointing to fire hazards associated with lithium-ion batteries, especially when stored or charged in densely populated areas. There are also concerns about collisions between e-bike riders and pedestrians.
Institutions such as Yale University have explicitly told students not to bring any “micro mobility devices” (MMDs), including e-bikes, into residential areas of the campus. Meanwhile, Fordham University’s decision to ban these devices was influenced by a spate of dangerous incidents involving e-bike batteries, including fires and injuries.