The future of the GoNow scooter service, which has been operating in Stellenbosch for the past four years, remains uncertain following Stellenbosch Municipality’s notice and subsequent inaction to shut down the service on 1 March.
According to Jacob Levitan, co-founder and CEO of GoNow, the company operated for four years without interference from the municipality. However, in January this year, GoNow received a notice from the traffic department requesting a meeting to discuss the company’s future, following complaints about the scooter service.
Levitan told SMF News that the traffic department also raised concerns about the lack of legislation regulating the scooter service. He added that during the meeting, GoNow had requested evidence of the complaints allegedly received by the traffic department, but officials refused to provide it.
Despite multiple attempts made by SMF News to contact Stellenbosch Municipality and the Stellenbosch traffic department, they did not provide comment at the time of publication.
Following the meeting, Levitan said, he received an email notice from the municipality stating that the scooter service would be shut down on 1 March. Despite further attempts made by GoNow to enquire about the complaints received by the traffic department and the municipality, there was no further formal communication, said Levitan.
And on 1 March, no action was taken.
“As it stands, our service remains operational. However, without clarity from the municipality, we cannot provide guarantees about the long-term future of our service,” said Levitan. “We are committed to fighting for our right to operate and for the thousands of residents and students who depend on us.”
The service has a fleet of 500 scooters around Stellenbosch and currently averages approximately 40 000 trips per month, said Levitan.
“Our scooters aren’t there for fun, they are there to get around town. It’s an electric alternative to get around town much quicker and cheaper,” said Levitan.
The GoNow mobile app, which indicates where all the scooters are parked around Stellenbosch. The app also indicates where the various parking zones, red zones and speed limit zones are. PHOTO: Screenshot/Gonow On-demand App
While GoNow has not been able to respond to the complaints referred to by the municipality, Levitan said the company has taken steps to respond to complaints it received directly from residents.
Among these, he said, were concerns about “kids”, with no knowledge of the rules of the road, riding on the scooters. In response to this, GoNow has now implemented ID verification to ensure that users are all over the age of 16.
“So when you sign up for the first time […] it requires to scan in your ID, or your driver’s [license], or your passport, and from there it will determine your age, and if you are younger than that [16 years of age] it simply won’t let you ride,” said Levitan.
Another common complaint amongst local restaurants and guest houses is that scooters are often parked in their establishment’s driveways. Levitan said that to remedy this, designated red zones have been established, where the scooter will physically shut off if you attempt to ride or park in those areas.
GoNow is also working with 10 different local businesses to build designated parking spaces for the scooters outside of their establishments, in addition to the many designated parking spaces already available around the town.
The GoNow scooters parked directly across from Eikestad Mall, in Andringa Street. This area is a designated parking area for the scooters and is very popular amongst users of the service. PHOTO: Dylan Lackay
A petition was created by GoNow to fight the shutdown of the scooters by the municipality. Currently, the petition has over 1 750 signatures. To students and residents of Stellenbosch, the scooters have seemingly been very helpful in their daily movements, with many students preferring the scooter service over e-hailing services like Uber.
“I had the monthly pass and when you do the calculations […] it’s way cheaper than getting like five different uber trips per day, because that’s the only other mode of transport I could use,” said Thabiso Manukuza, a second-year BA in linguistics masters student, at Stellenbosch University (SU).
Former users of the GoNow scooters echoed a similar sentiment.
“Instead of taking an Uber, I thought let me try this thing [GoNow scooter]. It’s quicker, more convenient and cheaper,” said Riyaadh Ebrahim, a BCom logistics and supply chain management honours student at SU.
“I do believe it [GoNow scooter service] provides a lot of value to the Stellenbosch community, especially because the community is largely made up of students and a lot of students don’t have vehicles to get around, or bicycles, or any type of transportation, and uber is also really expensive,” said Klara Appelgryn, a former BA visual communication and design student at SU. “It’s also not the safest to walk. I believe it provides value, it provides safety, and it provides an alternative form of transportation.”
The GoNow scooters that are parked on campus and are being used by students all around town. Many of the areas on campus are also designated “speed limit zones” where the scooters are automatically programmed to slow down when riding in these areas. PHOTO: Dylan Lackay
According to Levitan, the company’s biggest challenge is the lack of legislation regulating electric scooters in South Africa — an issue previously reported on by SMF News in 2020.
SMF News asked Muneera Allie, the head of communication for the Western Cape Mobility Department about this.
“There is currently no specific provision in national legislation that explicitly prohibits the use of e-scooters,” said Allie. “Municipalities may rely on existing provisions relating to vehicles, road use, or pedestrian infrastructure, however, these were developed prior to the emergence of micro-mobility devices and do not directly address them. This reinforces the need for updated, fit-for-purpose regulatory frameworks.”
According to Levitan, GoNow is working with municipalities and senior officials to help draft new legislation and bylaws for the industry. He, however, declined to go into detail about this.
In the meantime, Levitan said the company operates in line with existing laws governing similar forms of transport, such as bicycles and motorbikes.