St. John’s University has implemented a micromobility device called Wheels to assist transportation across campus. As of Sept. 30, students and faculty will have access to these low-riding mobility devices, with a similar design to a bicycle.
The movement to get Wheels at St. John’s, which is located in Jamaica, was led by their student government, which cited a lack of comfortable transport on campus, according to The Torch, the university’s student newspaper.
Dockets have been installed across campus, “so that students can rent bikes to go from their dorms to class or go to areas around campus and shop,” student government president Ethan Burrell told The Torch.
The device, however, can be parked anywhere within campus, putting down the kickstand and ending the ride with the app.
The device is accessed via a mobile app, similar to other popular devices such as CitiBike. A QR code on the device is scanned, and the rider is charged $0.01 to unlock the device and $0.29 per minute, before tax, to ride it. Payment methods are directly added to the app, where ride credit is added.
The zone where it can be ridden includes around campus in parts of Jamaica Hills, Brianwood, Hillcrest and Jamaica Estates, though dockets can only be found on the St. John’s campus.
Both payment plans and immediate access prices are available for the bikes, St. John’s student government told The Torch. The device is black with the St. John’s logo on its side, and the handlebars can be used to accelerate the device and slow down. Many can be found across campus.
According to their website, Wheels was “born out of a desire to make micromobility safer.” The website describes how their product is considerably safer than other mobility devices such as bicycles and scooters, with injury rates for the other devices anywhere from three times to 66 times higher.
To find more information about the devices, visit takewheels.com.
