FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CARBONDALE – The City of Carbondale is excited to announce that its new micromobility program will launch on Friday, July 15. Micromobility company, Veo, will deploy 350 scooters throughout the city and on the Southern Illinois University campus.
The City of Carbondale and Veo will host a public demo of the scooters on Friday, July 15, from 10 a.m. – noon at the Public Safety Center located at 501 S. Washington Street.
“We are excited that residents and students will have an additional form of transportation that is not only friendlier to the earth but also affordable," said Carbondale's Senior Planner Molly Maxwell.
Veo’s multimodal strategy for Carbondale, which includes seated and stand-up scooters, caters to various use cases and riders. The Astro standing scooter is easy to balance and includes safety features such front and rear suspension, front and rear lights and active brake lights. With larger tires and a lower center of gravity, the Cosmo seated scooter provides a sense of added stability and control, increasing accessibility for those who do not want to stand for long periods, and is a preferred vehicle for riders across the age spectrum. The Cosmo also supports longer trips, with riders traveling up to one mile longer.
“Veo is passionate about increasing access to sustainable, innovative transportation to all,” said Candice Xie, CEO of Veo. “We’ve worked closely with city and university leaders to create a micromobility program that will increase access to public transportation and enable Carbondale residents and students to easily travel between the city and university, helping to reduce congestion.”
How to Ride:
- Using the Veo app, riders scan a QR code to unlock the vehicle. The cost to unlock is $1 and 31 cents per minute. The Veo Access Plan waives the unlock fee for riders with low incomes.
- Slow zones and no ride/no parking zones are highlighted in the Veo app. To end a trip, riders take an “end of ride” photo of the properly parked scooter, not blocking the sidewalk, driveways or private property.
- To simplify riding with friends and family, Veo offers Group Ride, which allows one Veo account holder to start multiple simultaneous rides without others needing to create and use a Veo account.
In a recent Veo rider survey, 45% of student riders nationwide reported that since the start of the pandemic, they used shared scooters and bikes more frequently. Ridership data confirms this: Veo rides were at an all-time high during the 2021-2022 school year. Without micromobility, 35% of students said they would have used a car for their most recent trip and 7% said they wouldn’t have taken the trip at all.
Once students return to campus, Veo will celebrate its launch at Southern Illinois University’s Involvement Fair on Thursday, August 25 from 5 – 7 p.m. The Veo team will provide vehicle demonstrations, safety overviews, and distribute complimentary helmets.
For more information about Veo’s Carbondale micromobility program, visit studentcenter.siu.edu
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About Veo
Headquartered in Chicago and founded in 2017, Veo is one of micromobility's fastest growing and most innovative companies. Veo partners with dozens of cities and universities nationwide with exclusive and semi-exclusive contracts in its mobility share programs and is adding additional municipalities and campuses every month. Veo’s hands-on design and manufacturing process enables Veo to integrate safety, comfort, compliance, and reliability directly into the hardware, including its unique e-swappable-battery technology, turn signals, and underdeck light messaging to help keep sidewalks clear of fallen scooters. The Cosmo, for example, has a 2-3x higher utilization than typical scooters. For more information, please visit www.veoride.com.