Veo

Veo is a micromobility service provided by VeoRide Inc. of Chicago, Illinois, which operates in Birmingham under a Birmingham micromobility ordinance that was passed by the Birmingham City Council in February 2020.

Veo's permit was granted in November 2020, and the service went into operation in April 2021 with as many as 500 devices deployed within the first 90 days. Veo's fleet of micromobility devices includes 160 "Halo" pedal bicycles and 340 "Astro" standing (kick) scooters. Veo's permit included a base fee of $500 plus an annual fee of $20 per device and $100 per corral. The company was also required to furnish a $100 performance bond for each device. The initial service area stretched from Arkadelphia Road in College Hills to 56th Street South in Woodlawn, and from Red Mountain to Finley Boulevard. An anticipated second-phase rollout would extend the western boundary to Five Points West.

Decals on Veo devices could be scanned by a smartphones, prompting new users to download an app for payment. The app showed the locations of available devices and drop-off points. Initial pricing was $1 plus $0.10/minute for bicycles and $3 plus $0.33/minute for scooters. Dropping a device off in a "lucky zone" resulted in a $2 rebate, while parking outside of such a zone incurred a $2 penalty. The app required a snapshot of the parked device. Bicycles were available 24 hours a day, while scooters were limited to 6:00 AM to 11:00 PM.

References

• Coker, Angel (November 12, 2020) "Birmingham approves two new micromobility providers." Birmingham Business Journal
• Coker, Angel (April 16, 2021) "Veo brings shared bikes and scooters to downtown Bham." Birmingham Business Journal