SYRACUSE, NY (NCC News) – Veo started in Syracuse in October of 2021 with less than 150 scooters. Now, Syracuse is Veo’s largest destination in the U.S. with almost 500 scooters in the city. Veo scooters are activated with an app on your phone and then can be left almost anywhere. However, some Syracuse residents such as Tricia Lyman are unhappy about this.
“There just being left and laid out on the streets on the sidewalk. It’s actually very dangerous where they’re just being dumped. They’re not like in one central location near the bus hub when they first rolled out,” said Lyman.
One of Veo’s few rules is that the scooters can’t be left on sidewalks and can’t be parked blocking anything. NCC News spoke with Veo’s Syracuse Operations Manager Paul Colabufo who said failure to follow these rules results in a warning or even a fine. Syracuse resident Nancy Vaught still does not think that’s enough.
“But I do think it is kind of a pain neck to be walking around the sidewalks and have to step over them and things,” said Vaught.
Besides accessibility, one of the main reasons for Veo’s popularity growth is also because of cost. Their most popular scooter cost $1 to ride and is then 31 cents a minute once riding.
Colabufo said Veo is looking into expanding the program even more in Syracuse will potentially even making specific scooters strictly for Syracuse University.
