City marks e-scooter and bike sharing one year anniversary | City of Sarasota
Francesco Abbruzzino, The Uncensored Report, LLC
Sarasota, FL: The City of Sarasota will mark one year of micro-mobility service with its e-scooter and bicycle sharing program Friday, March 17. The City’s operator, Veo, is reporting record usage in Sarasota with nearly 150,000 rides to date since the program’s launch.
“The number of people renting the scooters and bikes is exceptional and shows the tremendous interest and need for this mobility option,” said Steve Cover whose parking and mobility team carried out the City Commission’s vision to offer a convenient, affordable alternative for first-mile and last-mile trips for visitors and residents. “The scooter and bike sharing program is part of the citywide mobility plan, Sarasota in Motion, and we couldn’t be happier with the success of the program. It’s helping to take vehicles off the roads.”
The Veo program launched in March 2022 with a mixed fleet of 400 scooters and bicycles and increased to 550 vehicles to meet the demand throughout the city. Scooter and bike corrals are positioned throughout downtown, St. Armands Circle and North Sarasota.
“It’s an accessible and affordable way to make quick trips around the city,” said Mayor Kyle Battie. “Residents use the e-scooters to get to work, run errands and meet up with friends. And, for visitors, it’s a fun way to experience our beautiful city and leave the car behind.”
The vehicles can be activated to rent through the VeoRide app which is available in the App Store and Google Play.
Rental costs for scooters are $1 to unlock the unit and 37 cents per minute. Bike rentals are 50 cents per half hour. Hours of operation are 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Through its Veo Access program, the company also offers discounted rates to low-income users who qualify.
Veo uses geofencing technology to limit use of the vehicles to safe, designated areas. Scooters and bikes are prohibited on narrow and busy sidewalks. The company employs locally-based staff to repair and replace vehicles, return misplaced scooters and bikes to parking corrals, and respond to issues.
Veo offers seated and stand-up e-scooters, traditional pedal bikes and a small pilot of electric bicycles. The Cosmo seated e-scooter is the most popular rental in Sarasota.
“Veo is thrilled to kick off another year in Sarasota with an expanded fleet of vehicles, making it even easier for residents and visitors to choose clean transportation,” said Candice Xie, co-founder and CEO of Veo. “Whether you’re headed to work or visiting for the weekend, shared scooters and bikes are a fun, convenient way to explore all that Sarasota has to offer.”
Many riders incorporate Veo and the City’s Bay Runner trolley to reach their destination, by taking a scooter then the trolley or vice versa for the first or last mile of their trip.
The City’s e-scooter/bike rental program and the Bay Runner were honored together in June 2022 by the International Parking & Mobility Institute (IPMI) with an Award of Excellence for innovation with a mobility program.
For more information about the e-scooter and bicycle rentals, visit VeoRide.com or call Veo at 855-836-2256