ALL THE SCOOTER SCOOP
IN THIS ISSUE OF THE SCOOTER SUBCOMMITTEE UPDATE:
- New Scooter Provider VEO Commences Denver Operations
- Illegal Sidewalk Riding Solutions
- Veo + DOTI Presentation for City Council
- Kids on Scooters
- Reporting Unsafe Riding or Improper Scooter Parking
- Our Next Meeting
NEW SCOOTER PROVIDER VEO COMMENCES DENVER OPERATIONS. A lot has happened since we last wrote a newsletter update! City Council approved the contract for the new shared scooter/bike provider, Veo, and the former vendors (Lime and Bird) have terminated their Denver operations. Veo and Denver’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI) have publicly stated that the transition is going smoothly and according to plan. City Council member, particularly Downtown Denver’s representative Chris Hinds, have cited some unexpected bumps along the ride. In comments at UpDoNA’s scooter subcommittee meeting it was noted that the issues were a result of mis- and missed-communications. Veo representatives agreed that the issues were unfortunate and that better communication was required. They also noted that they were swamped with incoming emails during the transition and were developing methods to avoid delayed responses in the future.
Councilmember Hinds has also appeared on news programs expressing his constituents’ frustrations with Veo scooters operating on sidewalks in Downtown Denver. You can view one such report: HERE. He has also called upon the City Attorney to review Veo’s contract to identify enforcement actions that Veo is perhaps not performing. Other news reports cite Veo’s “slow start” in reducing scooter sidewalk riding. Watch HERE. Yet other news reports quote micromobility experts explaining that Denver’s Veo program is one of the most successful in the nation. Read about that: HERE.
ILLEGAL SIDEWALK RIDING SOLUTIONS. Veo has presented a multi-factor solution to the vexing problem of scooters being illegally operated on the sidewalks of Downtown Denver – a combination of warnings, behavior modification, technology solutions, the imposition of monetary fines, and, ultimately total suspension of a rider’s Veo privileges. The timeline for implementation of those solutions remains unclear. At a recent presentation to City Council, Veo was asked for that timeline and stated that they could not provide one at that time. The Veo representative implied that not all scooters are actually equipped with all of the necessary technology – primarily LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging). In other reports, Councilmember Hinds stated that Veo assures him the technology is in place, but not turned on. During that same City Council presentation, Veo provided this system for enforcing the sidewalk riding ban:
It’s worth noting that enforcement actions began August 10, 2026, months after Veo scooters debuted on Denver’s streets and sidewalks. There are some issues with the use of GPS to identify sidewalks in the downtown due to tall buildings. This can result in illegal sidewalk riding (scooter riding on sidewalks is permitted at the beginning or end of a trip) being missed or audible scooter warnings regarding “No Sidewalk Riding” being issued when the scooter is actually in a bike lane adjacent to the sidewalk.
VEO + DOTI PRESENTATION FOR CITY COUNCIL. We learned more about Veo’s transition as the sole vendor of shared scooters + bikes in Denver. Some highlights:
- All vehicles are equipped with GPS and the installation of LIDAR is “in progress.”
- In an effort to reduce “sidewalk litter”, parking a vehicle in only a designated area (a “parking corral”) at the end of a trip will be mandatory in the Union Station area by the end of this year. Mandatory corral parking is expected to be implemented in our UpDoNA neighborhood on July 1, 2027.
- Veo is making an effort to combat underage riding of shared scooters and bikes.
Review the most relevant PowerPoint slides prepared by Veo and DOTI for their presentation to the City Council Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on September 2 HERE.
KIDS ON SCOOTERS. While Veo does make an effort to combat underage riding, company representatives explained at our recent scooter subcommittee meeting that it’s a vexing problem to fix – and the blame frequently falls on the parents. Although you need a credit card to open an account, and must “swear” that you are not underage, it’s the parents who help their children undermine that system by providing their own credit card for the kids’ accounts. Why? We’re told it’s because there’s an insufficient appreciation of the bodily injury a child riding a scooter could suffer, or it’s a more convenient way for kids to get to school. For its part, Veo has taken action to slow riding near schools. We were told at the recent UpDoNA scooter subcommittee that Denver Public Schools (DPS) is not in favor of the more effective solution of creating “no ride zones” around schools because DPS recognizes that staff and some students use scooters to get to/from schools. While other cities require real age verification of the scooter rider via government I.D. (drivers licenses), Denver is not one of them. You can read more about this problem: HERE.
REPORTING UNSAFE RIDING OR IMPROPER SCOOTER PARKING. You can report unsafe riding, underage riding, or improperly parked scooters by emailing hello@veoride.com. At the minimum, include the time and location of the issue (Veo might be able to identify the rider with that information). If you can identify the scooter number, also provide that information.
If you’d like to speak directly to representatives of the City and Veo, consider attending our next meeting.
UPCOMING MEETING. For a deeper dive, you can review the Meeting Minutes from the Subcommittee’s most recent meeting HERE. The next meeting of UpDoNA’s Scooter Subcommittee will be held Tuesday, October 6, 3:00-4:30 PM at Olive & Finch on 14th Street at the DCPA. Reach out to David Kurth if you want to be added to the mailing list. David_Kurth@msn.com.
Thumbnail attribution: David Kurth
