Four months into Denver’s contract with its new electric scooter and bike provider, members of the City Council are asking pointed questions of Veo about a recurring problem: sidewalk riding.
The city has had an ordinance in place since July 1 that requires the company to use technology to prevent the practice, which has drawn complaints for years. But still, residents have said that the problem continues.
“When the public was told there would be a new law that prevents people from riding on sidewalks on July 1, and yet there are still people riding on sidewalks, itap an erosion of trust,” Councilman Chris Hinds said during a committee meeting Wednesday.
Nick Williams, a deputy manager in the city’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure, said the company had rolled out some of the new technology — like audible alerts telling riders to leave the sidewalk — but he didn’t know when they would start using other techniques.
“Ridership on sidewalks has not gone as we hoped,” Williams said during the meeting. “That and misparked vehicles are the two biggest elements that create that friction between riders and nonriders. … We recognize this is one of the biggest threats to this program.”
As of Aug. 10, those who repeatedly ride on sidewalks can be punished with up to a $10 fine and an account suspension if they violate the rule at least four times, said Alaina McWhorter, the legislative liaison for DOTI. For the first and second offense, the rider receives a warning. For a third offense, they are fined $5.
Veo took over as the city’s sole scooter provider in May after the council voted to end the city’s relationship with the previous companies, Bird and Lime.
Its implementation of sidewalk restrictions has been slower than some officials hoped, but the company cited progress on Friday.
At the start, Veo spokeswoman Paige Miller wrote in an email, all rides on the company’s fleet began with an audio reminder encouraging riders to stay off sidewalks. And on July 1, she said, Veo activated a feature that provides audible warnings during rides downtown when the system detects possible sidewalk riding, urging riders to move to the street or a bike lane.
Since last week, she said, devices have triggered more than 300 automatic “slowdowns” using a newly active feature on certain downtown sidewalk segments. Veo has also recently prompted app users to take an online pledge not to ride on sidewalks.
“In coordination with DOTI, as we roll out slow zones, we will initially prioritize corridors with adjacent protected bike lanes so riders have a safe alternative nearby, as many riders who use sidewalks do so because they do not feel safe riding in the street,” Miller wrote.
New technology coming
The company is also planning to roll out additional deterrence through LiDAR — short for light detection and ranging — technology that improves sidewalk detection, allowing the company to cap the speed of any devices that go on a sidewalk to only 6 mph.
“I’m confident that within the next two to four weeks we should be able to give a more detailed timeline on when additional technology is expected to be completely rolled out,” said Williams, from DOTI.
Sidewalk riding has been illegal in Denver, at least officially, since the council passed an ordinance banning it in 2019. Then in 2025, the council passed another ordinance aimed at enforcing that rule. The only time riders are allowed to use sidewalks is if they are on the block where they plan to park the device, and they must ride at a maximum of 6 mph, rather than the usual 15 mph.
There were nearly 340,000 “sidewalk riding events” — which included illegal activity and legitimate use of sidewalks, such as for parking or starting a trip — between May 16 and June 30, according to a DOTI report.
Miller said that since more-active alerts began during rides downtown, Veo has seen a 10% drop in detected sidewalk riding.
But she said the company’s implementation of its anti-sidewalk technology would need to “reflect conditions in each neighborhood.”
“There is more work to be done, and DOTI and Veo will continue working with council members and community stakeholders to determine where and how these measures should expand,” Miller said.
The Colorado Polling Institute recently conducted a poll showing that nearly two-thirds of Denver voters saw more benefit than downside in the city’s electric bike and scooter program, with most supporters saying they approved because it either offered a convenient travel option or helped reduce car dependency.
Most of the people who had a negative opinion of the riders said they were concerned about reckless driving and the danger to pedestrians. About a third of that group said they were frustrated by the improper parking of the devices.
Parking problems
Veo is also working on addressing riders who leave their devices in the middle of sidewalks or in front yards, McWhorter said. One way officials are doing that is by installing parking corrals so that riders can see them on a map and know where is a safe place to leave their devices.
Some areas, like near Union Station, will soon have mandated corrals so that travelers can’t end their rides until the device is in one of the pre-set locations.
The city already has 280 parking corrals, with plans to add 40 more by the end of the year and 110 more next year.
The company is also working on rolling out “slow zones” where the devices can’t run at their top speed. Slow zones are already in place around public schools, the Cherry Creek mall, the 16th Street mall, Coors Field on game days and Wynkoop Plaza at Union Station.
DOTI officials said that while they see ongoing problems with the technology, they’re also proud of the rollout so far. Ridership in the program was up 12% in May and June compared to the same months last year, McWhorter said.
About 40% of the rides are through the company’s “access rides” program, which provides a discounted rate for income-qualified individuals. About 8,000 of the users under the previous providers — Lime and Bird — were using a similar program.
Veo says it has 11,000 people enrolled for the discount. About three-fourths of all rides are from people who live in Denver.
