Four Veo seated e-scooters parked on North Third and Santa Clara streets on Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2022. (Sal Pizarro/Bay Area News Group)
Dozens of new e-scooters will soon line Santa Clara streets in an eco-friendly move aimed at contributing to a greener and more sustainable city through alternative transit options.
E-scooter vendor Veo, based in Santa Monica, received an operating permit to deploy 300 of its scooters this fall as part of the city’s Shared Mobility Program. It will follow the Miami-based Bird, which received a permit in August to distribute 800 e-scooters and 200 e-bikes around the city.
Bird’s bikes and scooters have already been dispersed. Adding Veo’s scooters to the mix will bring the number of e-bikes and scooters to 1,300.
Veo’s scooters will be phased in over the next few weeks, according to Michelle Templeton, acting director of communications for the city. The dockless scooters will be placed around the city where the company anticipates the highest demand, Templeton said.
The company plans to pick up and and periodically redistribute them according to residents’ transit demands, Templeton said.
“The city has many efforts underway to create a more sustainable Santa Clara,” Templeton said. “Increasing access to clean mobility and alternative modes of transportation provides a sustainable way for community members and visitors to get around, reduces greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change and supports reduction in traffic congestion.”
The new scooters will be a mix of Veo’s Cosmo seated e-scooters and Astro standing e-scooters, a representative from the company said. The vehicles cost $3 to unlock for the first five minutes, and riders will be charged 39 cents for each minute afterward. To end a trip, riders must park the scooter in an approved location and take an “end-of-ride” photo in the Veo app.
To celebrate the program’s launch, Veo is offering riders a $5 credit that can be redeemed on the app until the end of November, the company said.
Veo also has a discounted pricing plan for Santa Clara residents who receive federal, state or local assistance, as well as FAFSA-eligible students. The program waives the scooters’ unlock fee and allows riders to take one free 30-minute ride per day. Additional rides after that are 20 cents per minute.
Under the Shared Mobility Program, which was approved last winter, private operators can distribute e-bikes and e-scooters throughout the city to provide the public with another way to “sustainably access transit, shopping, and entertainment areas,” the city said in a news release.
Those using the bikes and scooters must follow basic operating rules: riders must be at least 18 and hold a valid driver’s license, they must ride in bike lanes and follow traffic laws, and park the vehicles appropriately. No riding under the influence of drugs or alcohol is allowed, the city said.
Those who come across devices that are parked incorrectly or damaged should contact the operator, who will be responsible for retrieving the devices, the city said. Riders can reach Veo by calling 1-855-836-2256 or emailing hello@veoride.com, and they can reach Bird by calling 1-866-205-2442 or emailing hello@bird.co.
Residents and stakeholders in Santa Clara can leave comments about the city’s bike and scooter sharing programs online through the MySantaClara App.
Originally published at Vandana Ravikumar