The Grand Rapids City Commission will vote on whether to ditch Lime, the city’s current provider of rental bikes and scooters, in favor of switching to Veo, a vendor whose products are reportedly causing frustration in Denver.
Grand Rapids in 2020 began a pilot program to provide “affordable mobility options” for city residents, using vehicles provided by Lime and Spin. In 2022, the city approved a long-term agreement with Lime to continue offering e-bikes and scooters for use on city streets.
Max Gilles, strategic initiatives manager for Mobile GR, presented to the Committee of the Whole on Aug. 11 to explain that the 2022 contract with Lime will expire at the end of 2026. He said the city is searching for only one vehicle vendor to avoid “device clutter” and give the city additional leverage when negotiating prices.
Through a search for a new vendor, Mobile GR received bids from both Lime and Veo. Veo scored higher than Lime in both interviews and vehicle testing.
Veo vehicles come equipped with front-facing sensors which can detect and prevent crashes, while deterring users from riding on sidewalks. The Veo fleet includes bikes and tricycles that come with storage baskets, which Gilles said could carry groceries among other uses.
“It’s industry leading and something we’re really excited about,” Gilles said of Veo.
Gilles added that Mobile GR has spoken with Denver leaders about the scooters, which have been deployed in that city since May. The city commission is expected to vote on whether to approve a contract with Veo later this month, which would see Lime phased out as Veo begins to launch its operations in Grand Rapids.
Commissioner Milinda Ysasi said after Gilles’s presentation that she believes Veo’s offering of a seated scooter would be an asset to city commuters.
“As somebody who is very proudly in the middle of my life, a seated scooter makes me feel like I could maybe do that,” she said.
Several news outlets have detailed problems with Veo vehicles used throughout the Denver area.
Residents in Denver told CBS News that Veo has failed to deliver on its promise to keep riders off sidewalks after it received an exclusive contract with the city. An elderly resident who uses a walker complained in that story that Veo did not respond to his concerns after he was unable to remove a Veo scooter that was left leaning against a gate in her yard.
Denver City Councilman Chris Hinds told Denver News 7 he has received over 100 complaints from constituents stemming from concerns about Veo vehicles blocking sidewalks and creating clutter on city streets.
Veo Policy and Partnerships Manager Rebekah Hernandez reportedly wrote in an internal email that “it’s not customary to respond to customer complaints or tickets due to the volume of complaints we receive across nationwide markets,” according to documents acquired by The Denver Gazette.
Neither Lime nor Veo responded to a request for comment from The Grand Rapids Herald.
Write to jackson@grherald.com