There will be 850 electric scooters and bikes trundling around the Syracuse roads this summer, up from 400 or so last year.
There are more riders this year than last and the year before, said Neil Burke, director of special projects for the City of Syracuse. Veo, the company that owns the turquoise scooters and bikes, did not specify by how much.
The Veo vehicles are “just one more layer in our transportation network,” said Burke. They’re well-used by Syracuse residents for commuting, he said, and for filling in the commute before or after bus rides.
Veo will build up the stock of vehicles gradually, said Burke. Most of the 850-piece fleet will be around the city by the summer. There will be more parking stations available, too, but those haven’t been mapped out yet. Veo will decide in the coming months whether to increase the fleet to 1,000.
Anyone can report poorly parked Veo vehicles through the company’s app or to SYR Cityline, said Burke. The city is trying to get the word out about responsible ridership, said Burke, but there’s no grand master plan to keep people from parking the scooters in the middle of the sidewalk (or the road).
The hotspots are the main streets and downtown, said Burke, and also community centers in each neighborhood. Veo sends anonymized rider data to the City of Syracuse.
Veo surveyed riders in Syracuse through their app in 2023. A little over half of respondents said they do not own or operate a car. And 55% of respondents marked the scooters and bikes as “important or very important” to their travel and mobility needs.
People can use the vehicles through the VeoRide app. It’s $1 to unlock a vehicle, then $0.31 per minute (or more, depending on the type of vehicle).
Riders with low incomes can apply for a discounted rider rate through veoride.com/veo-access.
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