Grand Rapids is trading one fleet of two-wheeled urban chaos for another — but city officials say the new rides will be safer, cheaper and easier to park.
If you’ve spent any time driving, walking or otherwise attempting to exist peacefully on the streets of Grand Rapids, you probably have an opinion about shared scooters and bikes.
Maybe you’ve watched a pack of teenagers rocket down a sidewalk toward an intersection with the confidence of a NASCAR driver and the stopping ability of a shopping cart.
Maybe your car has had an unfortunate encounter with a scooter rider’s interpretation of “traffic lane.”
Or maybe you actually use the things — to get to work, class, a restaurant, an appointment or, purely hypothetically, from one bar to the next.
Whatever your position, the micromobility era isn’t going anywhere.
But Lime is.
The Grand Rapids City Commission voted Wednesday to select Veo as the city’s new sole shared micromobility vendor. The three-year agreement runs from Sept. 1, 2026, through Aug. 31, 2029, and comes at no direct cost to the city.
The city put Lime and Veo to the test
Mobile GR launched its search for a new vendor in March with a request for proposals. Both Lime and Veo submitted bids.
A review panel scored the proposals, interviewed the companies and — because apparently someone has to do it — tested the vehicles.
Veo came out on top at every stage.
A Mobile GR Commission member served on the RFP panel, and the full Mobile GR Commission discussed and supported the selection of Veo on Aug. 12.
Now comes the less glamorous part: getting the contract finalized and actually getting the new fleet onto Grand Rapids streets.
The bikes are supposed to be smarter about where they go
Perhaps the most interesting part of the Veo deal is the technology intended to address one of the biggest complaints about shared micromobility: people riding where they’re not supposed to.
Within the first year of the contract, at least half of Veo’s fleet will have radar technology capable of scanning about 20 feet ahead of the vehicle.
If the system detects an obstacle, it can slow the device, issue a warning sound or stop it.
In theory, that could mean fewer scooters silently appearing behind pedestrians on sidewalks.
In practice, of course, there remains the wild card known as the person operating the scooter.
Veo also offers technology intended to help prevent underage and impaired riding.
And yes, the city says rides will be cheaper
The standard per-minute rate is dropping from 36 cents to 33 cents, while the $1 unlock fee remains unchanged.
Those rates are locked in for the entire three-year contract.
The city is also highlighting Veo’s new Veo Access program, which will cost qualifying riders $5 per month and include:
- 30 free riding minutes every day.
- 50% off additional riding time.
- Additional reductions for trips beginning or ending in designated equity areas.
- A commuter membership.
- A transit rebate.
- Payment options for people who don’t use traditional banking services.
For someone who actually relies on micromobility for transportation rather than using it as a novelty after two beers, those changes could matter considerably.
“Transportation costs should not be the reason someone cannot get to work or to an appointment,” said Max Gilles, strategic initiatives manager for Mobile GR.
Prepare yourself for seated scooters
Grand Rapids won’t simply be getting a new version of the same Lime fleet.
Veo plans to offer a mix of seated scooters, e-bikes, standing scooters and a small number of self-balancing trikes.
Most of the fleet will be seated.
That’s a potentially significant change for riders who find standing scooters uncomfortable or difficult to use. Veo also offers free adaptive attachments for manual wheelchairs.
So, yes, the city’s newest transportation experiment may involve considerably more people sitting down while operating what looks suspiciously like a very large electric toy.
The eternal scooter question: Where the hell do I park this thing?
Grand Rapids is also hoping Veo can make one of the most visible micromobility problems less visible: abandoned vehicles blocking sidewalks.
Veo will use NFC “Tap-to-End-Trip” pads installed on designated parking-zone signposts. Riders will tap their phones or devices to the pads to finish their trips, in addition to the usual GPS geofencing.
The company also has technology designed to verify that a vehicle is parked upright and isn’t blocking a sidewalk.
Because nothing says “future of urban transportation” quite like technology dedicated to making sure somebody didn’t leave an electric scooter lying across a sidewalk.
Grand Rapids apparently really likes these things
Despite the complaints — some justified, some delivered by people who would also like cyclists to get off their proverbial lawns — micromobility has developed a substantial following in Grand Rapids.
Since 2020, more than 400,000 unique riders have taken more than 1.8 million micromobility trips in the city.
That works out to an average of more than four trips per unique rider, although obviously the actual distribution is much more complicated.
The numbers are enough for the city to conclude that shared bikes and scooters aren’t merely a passing fad. They’re now part of Grand Rapids’ transportation network.
“We are excited to welcome Veo to Grand Rapids,” said Jessica Smith, Mobile GR director. “Their proposal stood out because it improves safety, lowers costs and offers more types of devices.”
Veo’s Jeff Hoover, the company’s director of government partnerships, said the company is looking forward to providing seated and standing scooters as part of the new fleet.
So, goodbye Lime. Hello Veo.
The transition will happen quickly. The contract begins Sept. 1, and Mobile GR will work with the city’s purchasing department to finalize the agreement and prepare for the rollout.
More information about the transition, including details for existing and new riders, is expected in the coming weeks.
And for the rest of us?
Well, keep an eye out.
The scooters may be getting radar, geofencing, parking verification and affordability programs.
And for the rest of us?
Well, keep an eye out.
The scooters may be getting radar, geofencing, parking verification and affordability programs.
But in the heart of downtown Grand Rapids, teenagers on e-bikes and scooters will still be crossing the intersection of Fulton and Monroe diagonally — and on the outskirts, curmudgeons like me will still be yelling, “Get off my lawn!”
Progress.
