E-scooters ride onto campus

A pilot shared mobility app developed by Grab is on a three-month trial on the NUS Kent Ridge campus, providing a last-mile transportation option to the community

Over the next three months, the NUS community will be the first in the country to try out the new Grab electric scooter (e-scooter) sharing service. This pilot test, a collaboration with Grab Ventures — Grab’s innovation arm — began on 19 November with a fleet of e-scooters deployed across the NUS Kent Ridge campus.

NUS Senior Vice President (Campus Infrastructure) Professor Yong Kwet Yew said that this latest initiative is in line with the University’s commitment to sustainability in campus operations.

“We are delighted to collaborate with Grab to introduce e-scooters to support the growing commuting needs of the NUS community. This partnership with Grab not only provides a last-mile transportation option for NUS students and staff, but it also offers interesting research opportunities to develop innovative mobility solutions that could shape the future of urban transportation,” he added.

This is also the first time Grab’s new shared mobility mobile app GrabWheels will be tested in Singapore. To start the e-scooter service, users simply download the GrabWheels Beta app, use it to unlock a scooter at any of the dedicated parking stations, and begin their journeys.

Once the destination point is reached, the app will direct the rider to return the e-scooter to the nearest parking location. To reduce the possibility of errant parking, ending the trip and locking the e-scooter will only be possible by scanning a unique QR code at the designated parking stations. Every evening, Grab’s operations team will collect all the e-scooters, recharge them and return them to their original parking locations for use the next day.

To facilitate safe usage of the e-scooters, Grab has enabled in-app messages to educate users on safe riding behaviour. In addition, a support team will be on standby to assist users if they encounter any issues during the trial.

Currently, there are eight e-scooter parking stations on campus with aims to progressively scale up to 30 by the end of December. These include stations at University Town, Ridge View Residential College and Block AS8 in NUS Arts and Social Sciences. The locations were determined by taking into account popular commute routes by students, common exit and entry points of school buildings and F&B areas, as well as the existing shuttle bus route.

Year 4 NUS Arts and Social Sciences student Nicholas Tey, who has tested the e-scooter, said that he plans to use the service often. “As students, we have to move around the campus frequently to attend classes, meet our friends or to run errands. These e-scooters offer us an alternative to taking the shuttle buses, especially when we are in a hurry and the bus has yet to arrive,” he said.

Interested members of the NUS community should register to start using the e-scooter service.

See press release.