By Inge van der Westhuizen
GoNow scooters have raced through Stellenbosch streets for over three years, providing a convenient and affordable transportation option to commuters. Recent notices sent to GoNow by the Stellenbosch Municipality, however, threaten to shut all operations of the scooter company down following alleged complaints against them.
Although the Municipality threatened to impound all GoNow scooters by 1 March, they did not follow through and all scooters remain on the roads. GoNow released a petition on 19 March to prevent the forced shutdown of their operations. According to the statement issued alongside the petition, the Municipality has “made it clear that it remains determined to terminate the service” despite the “absence of any present legal basis for the impoundment”.
“There is no legislative framework that governs or regulates the public use of e-scooters in the municipal area of Stellenbosch,” the statement continued.
Jacob Levitan, the CEO and co-founder of GoNow, said in an interview with Die Matie that, while the Municipality has voiced complaints, they have not been open to co-operation. “They won’t work with us,” said Levitan. “The amount of times I have gone out to the Municipality and asked, ‘Can you tell us the complaints?’, and they won’t. There’s no legislation so it’s not their job. Saying ‘no’ is a lot easier than saying ‘yes’.”
Levitan affirmed that the e-scooters are operating safely in Stellenbosch and that accidents are rare and largely preventable if users follow the safety guidelines on the app.
In addition to the e-scooters offering a solution to the pressing traffic issues faced in Stellenbosch, Levitan boasts that many people have reached out to the company, reporting that their service has helped them to feel safe commuting in Stellenbosch, especially during extremely early or late hours of the day. “It is a big positive to everyone. [The Municipality] doesn’t see it; they don’t listen when we try to tell them.”
Die Matie reached out to the Municipality. At the time of publishing, they have not yet responded.
As of today, although the petition against its shutdown has 2 620 signatures, the future of GoNow in Stellenbosch remains uncertain without further communication from the Municipality.
