Overview:
The city is replacing Lime and Bird with Veo as the city’s sole scooter and e-bike provider, which officials argue will expand access.
Denver is overhauling its shared scooter and e-bike system, replacing longtime operators Lime and Bird with a single vendor, Veo, under a new three-year contract that city officials say will make micromobility cheaper and more accessible.
The Denver City Council’s Transportation and Infrastructure Committee approved the agreement Wednesday, April 15, moving the deal closer to final adoption. If the full council signs off later this month, Veo would begin deploying scooters and e-bikes across the city starting May 1, with the transition overlapping briefly with Lime and Bird’s contracts before they expire May 16.
“We have more than 30 million trips a quarter starting in or ending in our center city,” said Chris Hinds, Councilperson District 10 at the meeting on Wednesday. “I would say upper and lower downtown are very excited to have (Veo) on board.”
The change represents one of the biggest shifts in Denver’s micromobility system since scooters first appeared on city streets in 2018.
“What set Veo apart was the GPS technology detection and radar detection,” said Alaina McWhorter, Denver Department of Transportation & Infrastructure senior legislative affairs specialist. “The fleet is required to have sidewalk riding detection.”
City officials say the new agreement is designed to simplify the system and expand access, particularly for lower-income riders. Under the proposed contract, Veo would operate a fleet of up to 9,000 scooters and e-bikes, paying the city $245 per permitted vehicle. That fee structure could generate roughly $2.2 million annually for Denver, according to city estimates.
Trips will cost $1 to unlock a vehicle and 25 cents per minute. Income-qualified riders will receive deeper discounts through Veo’s Access program, which offers 60 free minutes of rides per day, followed by a reduced rate of 15 cents per minute. City transportation officials say the program builds on similar equity initiatives offered by Lime and Bird.
Some critics have warned the vendor switch could temporarily disrupt service. Zach Williams, Lime’s regional head of government relations, said the transition could affect riders who rely on scooters for commuting to work or accessing essential services.
“Transitioning this program in May — in the highest ridership season of the year — while Veo is engaging with a program here in Denver that is at least twice as large as any program they’ve ever run before,” Zach Williams, Lime’s regional head of government relations, told Westword earlier this month, “they’re going to have their hands full no matter what.”
City staff say they are working to avoid a sudden service gap, but they acknowledge that there may be some implementation hiccups that must be worked out.
The vendor transition to Veo has also slowed the rollout of other transportation programs tied to Denver’s micromobility network, including the city’s proposed First Mile Free pilot. Joel Cox, a University of Denver graduate student studying environmental policy, came up with the idea for the program.
“I live about a mile from a light-rail stop,” Cox said. “I’d love to take transit more, but most days it’s just too far to walk.” After researching local transit patterns, he found that nearly 75% of Denver residents live beyond easy walking distance to transit—a major barrier to public transit.
Originally expected to launch earlier this year, the First Mile Free program is designed to help riders connect to transit stations using shared scooters or e-bikes. Under the proposal, trips that begin or end in designated zones near certain stations would be free.
“This program is for people who maybe make too much to qualify for assistance but still need help balancing a tight budget,” said Michael Hughes, Executive Director of the West Corridor Transportation Management Association. “It’s not perfect, but cost is the biggest barrier we’re trying to remove.”
But because the program relies on the city’s shared micromobility system, officials say its rollout has been tied to the new Veo contract. Under the new contract, RTD will fund 80% of the program, with Veo covering the remaining 20%. Two stations, one at The University of Denver and the Knox Station, are expected to open in early May as part of the First Mile Free Program.
For now, the program is a pilot. But organizers hope it will lead to something much bigger. “Our hope is that it’s so successful that RTD decides to fund it systemically,” Hughes said.
Although vendor transition and pilot are still in the early stages, supporters believe the new system will make micromobility a more reliable component of Denver’s transportation network.
“With your approval today, that puts us on track for full council approval on April 27th,” McWhorter said at the conclusion of Wednesday’s meeting. “We want to get out on the field as quickly as possible.”
Following council approval, Veo Scooters are expected to flood the street in early May. Transportation advocates appear cautiously optimistic about the contract, having felt empowered by the city’s engagement process regarding the Veo contracts.
“This isn’t a silver bullet,” Cox said. “But it shows that we don’t have to accept low ridership or limited access. We can build solutions that actually work for people.”
