Scooters

 Looks like the Veo Scooters will be available throughout the winter

Since the inception of Carbondale’s Micromobility Program and the City’s partnership with the e-scooter rideshare company Veo in 2022, the program has shuttered for the winter months – mid-December through mid-March. This is due to the significant decrease in ridership during this time and the fact that the batteries powering the devices can lose functionality in colder temperatures.  

However, the City and Veo recognize that the program helps to fill a large gap in Carbondale’s transportation network, and residents’ transportation needs don’t stop just because it’s cold outside. So, beginning this year, a limited fleet of e-scooters will be available through the winter. Riders can check the VeoRide app for locations of e-scooters and stay informed of closures for extreme cold or weather events.    

“Transportation needs don’t stop when winter arrives—especially for the 45% of Veo riders in Carbondale who don’t own or have access to a car," said Jeff Hoover, Director of Government Partnerships at Veo. “With year-round service, Veo will better support Carbondale’s transportation goals and the daily needs of residents. We're proud to partner with the City to ensure reliable, accessible mobility through the winter.”  

Veo Scooters

 Not sure if the city will do any enforcement but here are the regulations regarding Veo Scooter usage in Carbondale. I have noticed the "lucky" zones marked off at various locations around town, primarily downtown, and a number of scooters parked there, though I am not sure how many of those are parked by riders and how many by the Veo Scooter Collectors. since users have to pay by credit card and must submit a photo of the scooter to end the ride, charging fines for improperly parked scooters should be easy to charge and collect:

-Ride in the same direction as traffic and obey all lights, signs and signals

-Riding on sidewalks is permitted when deemed to be the safest option, but ride slowly and exercise extreme caution in pedestrian areas

-Must be 18 years or older to ride

-Only one person on an e-scooter at a time

-E-scooters should be parked in the following locations:

-in designated parking hubs

-in public right-of-way areas – for example, the grassy space between the curb and sidewalk

-on the edge of a sidewalk leaving at least 3 feet unobstructed (some sidewalks may be too narrow for e-scooter parking)

-E-scooters may NOT be parked in the following locations:

-on private property-in a way that blocks pedestrian, wheelchair, or vehicle access

-E-scooters should be parked up-right, using the kickstand

In coordination with City staff, VEO has taken the approach to financially incentivize the service to encourage safe riding and parking. At any given time, various parking hubs are designated as “lucky zones”, labelled on the app’s map with a $ symbol. Riders that park in a lucky zone will receive a discount on their ride!

Alternatively, riders not parking correctly may notice a difference in violations. Riders who improperly park an e-scooter now receive only one warning, as opposed to two as was the case previously. Fines have increased from $5 for the first violation and $10 for the second, to $10 for the first and $15 for the second violation.

Improper parking is detected by VEO with the assistance of the photo required to be taken by the rider in order to end their ride.

VEO and the City encourage community members to report improperly parked e-scooters when possible!

There are several ways to report:

-Use the City’s SeeClickFix app

-Use the Help Center in VEO’s app

-Call 1-855-VEO-2256

-Veo’s social media: @VeoMobility

For more information contact Public Relations Officer via call or text at 618-713-0711.

Electric Scooters

 In case a refresher course is needed, here is the Carbondale code regarding the use of bicycles and electric scooters on sidewalks. Basically ride in the street and/or bike lanes except when unsafe. If on the sidewalk, riders on wheeled vehicles give the right of way to pedestrians

City does need to talk with Veo about doing  a better job of collecting the scooters from around town and returning them to parking hubs. Maybe the new multi-modal transit station will incorporat a scooter hub!

Scooters Again

 Since Someone asked a couple of weeks ago, or at any rate chastised the city for investing money in the VEO scooters, I contact the city to see if any city money had gone into them. The short answer:  No.

The longer answer is that the city facilitated VEO's opearation in the city and issued a permit to the company allowing it to operate scooters on the city right of way. In fact, included in the service agreeement with VEO is a small fee paid to the city and SIUC per scooter ride, the money to go to a mutually agreed upon safety initiative.

Scooters

One of Veo's competitors abruptly shut down today. Micro-mobility company Bolt Mobility abruptly shut down operations in 8 cities and it not responding to communcaitons from the cities in which it operates. Meanwhile, other competitors Bird and Helbiz have seen  the value of their companies drop by about 90% from their peak. Ridership has dropped as well concurrent with gas prices going down.

Scooters

From what I hear, the seated Veo scooters and getting sequested away in locations off the beaten track  as they are more desirable than the standing scooters. Have not heard how the scooters get recharged. I assume the process is somewhat like Wing in that people clooect and recharge the scooters in exchange for a credit to their Veo account or a credit to a designated bank or charge account

Scooters

 Have seen a lot of people riding the new electric scooters around town, more often on the sidewalks than is safe. Just like with bicycles, City ordinances exclude riding scooters on sidewalks, except on those walkways designated for dual use, which, I beleive is primarily on campus. Going to look into policies for  maintaining scooters. Is someone collecting them, recharging them and replacing them, as I have seen them left standing at palces on the east and west side of town?  Wing  offers a bounty to people that collect, recharge and replace the company scooters? Would be useful to know Veo's policies.

Scooters

 The Veo Scooter program launched yesterday and I saw a number of people riding them aournd town yesterday afternoon and evening. not sure how the recharging program works. I imagine it runs something like Wing's , werein people get paid for collecting scooters, recharging them and replacing them  at usable locations. Since Veo relies  on photo verification, the company might require rechargers to upload a photo of the replaced scooter before releasing payment.

Scooter Code

 If you decide to try the new electric scooters spread throughout the town and campus, use the code "veoride" for a $5 credit. The scooters and promo code both go active on July 15.