PRINCETON, NJ – Princeton University will ban electric bikes, scooters, hoverboards, and other personal electric vehicles from its main campus beginning June 1, according to the university's updated Personal Electric Vehicle policy.
The policy, overseen by the Office of Parking and Transportation Services and the Office of Environmental Health & Safety, prohibits all personal electric vehicles from being used, stored, parked, or charged within a restricted zone covering the university's main campus.
The ban extends to all university-owned athletic, administrative, and academic buildings, whether or not they fall within the restricted zone.
According to an e-mail obtained by the Daily Princetonian, a campus-wide message said, “E-bike users have increasingly been observed violating safety rules, including riding on sidewalks and pedestrian pathways, failing to yield to pedestrians, and carrying multiple riders on a single device.”
The policy applies to all students, faculty, staff, and visitors. Manual bicycles, scooters, and skateboards remain permitted for transit.
Violations carry significant consequences. Any prohibited device found on campus may be impounded and held for 14 days. The university is not liable for damage during impoundment.
Undergraduate students living on campus must provide a plan to remove their e-bike before it will be released. Repeat violations may result in forfeiture of the vehicle, as well as disciplinary action or civil and criminal penalties.
Commuters have a narrow exception: faculty, staff, and graduate students with proof of an off-campus address may apply for a permit to ride to campus and park in designated areas near TigerTransit stops. Undergraduates are not eligible
Permitted e-bikes may not be operated, stored, or charged within the restricted zone and must park only in designated commuter areas. Batteries must be removed from the device to charge inside university buildings, and extension cords are prohibited.
Traditional non-electric bicycles remain permitted on campus at all times but must be registered with Transportation and Parking Services. The university also operates a fleet of approximately 120 low-cost rental bikes for students.
The policy does not apply to electric wheelchairs, mobility scooters, or other devices designed for individuals with mobility-related disabilities.
Princeton banned e-scooters in January 2024 under a broader PEV policy update, which led to the confiscation of at least 80 devices.
The university's action comes ahead ofnew statewide e-bike regulations signed by former Gov. Phil Murphy in February and set to take effect July 19, which will require riders to register, license, and insure their e-bikes and place a one-year ban on online e-bike sales.
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