Transportation and Infrastructure

Wednesday, September 2, 2026, 1:30 p.m. (Denver time), City & County Building, room 391

Video of the meeting

On the agenda

Documents

Summary

The Transportation and Infrastructure Committee received an extensive presentation from Denver Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI) staff and the new shared bike and scooter vendor, Veo, roughly four months into the new license agreement. Staff reported ridership up 12% year-over-year with over 1.03 million rides in May–June, more than 11,000 income-verified Access program users, and plans for mandatory parking zones in Union Station by December 31 and the Central Business District/Five Points by July 1. Council members raised concerns about sidewalk riding, slow enforcement and erosion of public trust, the 15-mph speed cap, underage riding, border zip-code sign-up problems, and 311 complaint tracking. Staff committed to providing a more detailed technology-rollout timeline to Council within 2 to 4 weeks. A community member from District 10 asked when the city would actually resolve sidewalk riding. Remaining items stayed on consent and the meeting adjourned.

Transcript

0:07 A Denver. It's time for this

0:08 biweekly meeting of the

0:09 Infrastructure Committee of

0:09 Transportation and

0:15 Denver City Council. Join us

0:15 for the Transportation and

0:16 Infrastructure Committee.

0:19 Starting now.

0:29 It seems me great looks like

0:33 we're on Good afternoon. My

0:33 name is Fred. I mean, it is

0:36 and I have the honor sharing

0:39 of a transportation and

0:41 infrastructure committee. I

0:42 just want get producer and

0:50 make sure that we are ok?

0:52 Front of me because I also

0:53 have the honor of representing

0:55 district 7 lucky district So

0:55 like to start with

0:57 introductions for my

1:01 colleagues. And and comes

1:03 PRESIDENT. You want to start

1:03 Good afternoon, Diana or

1:06 Properties. Denver district 4,

1:06 good afternoon there on some

1:09 fine night and at 2 men, an

1:11 honor system for just

1:14 impressive Stickers 10. Good

1:15 afternoon. Kevin Flynn,

1:19 Southwest members district

1:22 Thank And I do believe we

1:28 councilmember mind just want

1:33 to check his anybody I will.

1:35 We will welcome whoever's on

1:37 mine once we make sure that

1:37 have been running, that we can

1:38 go ahead and get started with

1:41 our very exciting presentation

1:46 today on a hero. So having got

1:48 that down to ticket or a nicu

1:52 and introduce your team take a

1:54 right very good Ole is

1:54 actually gonna run our point

1:55 guard on this for us. But I'm

1:56 very happy to introduce the

1:59 team here today. Good to see

2:00 everyone. I'm Nick Williams on

2:02 the deputy manager at in the

2:04 quarter. Denis legislative

2:08 liaison make your shared

2:09 back-to-school program

2:10 Alright, before weeks, we've

2:11 got, of course, lights here

2:12 free today, but just kind of

2:13 wanted to a little opening to

2:15 kind of set the tone for

2:16 today's presentation. We are

2:19 now about 4 months and fined.

2:20 It seems crazy that it's been

2:21 4 months since starting this

2:24 program, but we're certainly

2:25 are in 4 months in You know, I

2:27 think that transition is

2:29 proceeding on there. I think

2:30 we are. There's a lot of I

2:31 think very exciting things.

2:31 We're going to talk about some

2:32 of the things that we really

2:34 want to celebrate. You know,

2:36 things around access program,

2:39 take up how culture being

2:41 utilized. Just use on that

2:43 Usage is really done a nice

2:43 kind of how they're dispersed.

2:44 job of dispersing throughout

2:47 the whole city. But we'll also

2:50 talk about I think some very

2:51 apparent challenges that

2:53 remain in the program on These

2:55 are challenges that since the

2:56 very beginning of scooters.

2:57 And I know a number of you

2:59 have been here though, that

3:03 Magic when scooters first

3:04 landed on our streets, on you

3:05 know, the ongoing challenge of

3:08 first kind of reckless riding

3:09 specifically folks riding on

3:12 sidewalks and and folks

3:13 parking in a manner that is

3:16 not compliant ada. And that's

3:16 just thoughtful and respectful

3:18 in a way that respects our

3:21 folks are using our pedestrian

3:25 infrastructure on We are still

3:26 very excited about this

3:28 program. Just a reminder. You

3:30 know, I think some of that the

3:32 3 things that I might most

3:33 pleased that we as the city

3:35 came up just a reminder, of

3:37 course, we will soon I think

3:37 in the next few months get our

3:41 first revenue share from this

3:43 program in the between one and

3:43 2 million, depending on on

3:44 kind of how the numbers are

3:47 working out at that point,

3:48 we've had great take up on our

3:50 access program. I think

3:53 proportion of our rights is

3:57 about 40% about 40% of every

3:57 right out there today. He's an

3:58 access, right? And you know,

4:00 that was I think certainly

4:02 heard that very clearly from

4:03 City Council on that that

4:03 certainly aligned with our

4:07 goals around that. Then we do

4:07 believe in will talk a lot

4:10 about technology today because

4:12 that is a big element of that

4:13 right or behavior and how we

4:17 do our best to manage that

4:18 writer behavior. But we do

4:19 believe we superior technology

4:20 out there, of course, during

4:23 the procurement process on

4:24 their we did for this time, we

4:26 did actual hands-on ridership

4:30 writing each of the vehicles

4:31 up the candidates. But but

4:32 really those 3 things I think

4:33 we're very still very excited

4:39 about. Here comes the but on

4:42 lot of conversation about our

4:43 our role in relation to and

4:45 and you know, what we want to

4:45 will do it number of times to

4:49 this presentation is in this

4:50 relationship. We are the

4:51 regulators feel is the

4:53 licensee. It is our

4:54 responsibility. We take our

4:56 responsibility very seriously

4:57 to ensure that to the greatest

5:01 extent possible. The is

5:01 complying with both

5:02 on there. And I think there's

5:03 some opportunity to talk about

5:06 ordinance as well as the

5:07 agreement on there. And, you

5:08 know, I think kind of one of

5:09 the big things we were talking

5:12 with, COUNCILMAN Hines over

5:14 the last couple weeks, you

5:15 know, prior to the prior

5:15 program, of course, we said

5:21 that program up in 20 20 on

5:23 there. And we had we had had a

5:24 pretty decent idea, but we're

5:27 looking maybe a year or so of

5:28 Scooter data and still ferry

5:29 and scooter experience still

5:32 very new in the whole

5:33 lifestyle of an end to life

5:35 cycle of an entire industry on

5:38 the big changes we've been

5:38 5 years later, I think one of

5:40 able to implement I think kind

5:42 of working in collaboration

5:44 with City Council, certainly

5:48 legislation last year that

5:50 spoken put into Coke chapter.

5:51 54 specific causes around

5:52 rentable scooters that allow

5:54 us to have some more teams on

5:56 there. And so I think that is

5:58 the opportunity. I think we

5:59 are grateful for that

6:02 opportunity to be able to more

6:03 effectively manage this

6:05 program is a very popular

6:07 program that's always been the

6:08 case. It is our responsibility

6:12 to make sure it is running in

6:14 its its its best possible on

6:14 that certainly more work to be

6:19 done on that. But with that,

6:21 we'll get into what talking

6:25 about today. As Nick

6:25 mentioned, we're going read

6:26 through quite a lot of

6:27 information about the program

6:29 today. But quick rundown for

6:30 ya. Overview in history that

6:33 we normally teamed up with

6:35 widest audience love to have

6:36 this program to enhance my

6:38 mobility and accessibility our

6:40 city and some of the program

6:43 benefits to our users. And

6:45 then we're going to move into

6:46 our strategies on how we're

6:47 going to her, lay out a road

6:49 map essentially to how we

6:50 continue Sidewalk great

6:55 writing the negations and

6:57 orderly parking and then we'll

6:59 get into all right with

7:00 respect, Education's. So as we

7:03 know, we always need more

7:04 education for our users. And

7:04 hopefully today will help

7:08 provide some of for anyone

7:09 watching online or for some of

7:10 the materials that we can

7:11 hopefully share after the

7:12 fact. So people know where

7:15 they're allowed to ride part

7:16 and then last will wrap up

7:18 with customer service. And if

7:19 you're in need of assistance,

7:22 how you get that. So first

7:24 with the overview, we do want

7:26 to highlight the program

7:30 continues to be very popular,

7:30 offering equitable,

7:32 affordable, accessible rides.

7:33 It ridership is up 12% in the

7:35 same period time period of MAY

7:39 and JUNE of 2025. To 2026. So

7:44 in the first 2 months writers

7:45 in Denver with have taken over

7:49 1.0, 3, 4 million rides. We

7:51 are continuing to evolve the

7:51 program again through the

7:54 deployment of these. Parking

7:58 strategies and education. And

8:00 we need City Council. We need

8:01 community. We are partners out

8:03 in the community to help us

8:04 amplify our reach for

8:04 education on where people can

8:10 park and ride. I will just a

8:11 lot of the data in the slides

8:12 are capturing are key to

8:15 reports that you all received.

8:16 That is MAY first through

8:18 JUNE. 30th, but there are few

8:20 spots highlight kind of what

8:23 the data is now compared to 2

8:23 months ago since as Nick said,

8:26 we're officially in 4 months.

8:28 One of the big things that I

8:29 think we really want to

8:32 celebrate is that we have in

8:35 the first 2 months over 8,000

8:36 access program, users income

8:39 verified and utilizing the

8:43 program. You MAY recall that

8:44 that was a about 8,000 was our

8:45 goal with the previous

8:45 members. That was the average

8:47 number of access users per

8:50 month. And so we really were

8:51 targeting that. I'm happy to

8:55 say that even since JUNE 30th

8:58 and as of AUGUST 31st, AUGUST

9:01 31st. We're now over 11,000

9:02 access users. And as Nic

9:05 mentioned, they make up about

9:07 42% of total rides today. So

9:11 again, very popular for those

9:12 individuals who really utilize

9:14 the program to get to work, to

9:15 get to transit, to get to

9:16 groceries, commercial hubs.

9:22 All of those great things.

9:24 Also want to highlight that

9:27 the Denver resident program is

9:28 a new one where individuals

9:28 who are residents in Denver

9:31 are also getting a discount.

9:33 They're not qualified for the

9:35 access program. So on Denver

9:37 resident accounts were over

9:38 9,000 and they make up about a

9:40 little over 180,000 rides in

9:45 the first 2 months. Dion be or

9:49 both committed to growing

9:51 program safely and responsibly

9:52 and like Nick mentioned, we

9:55 share your goals of ending

9:56 reckless sidewalk riding and

10:00 making more tidy public around

10:00 particularly with our parking

10:01 carousing. Mandatory parking

10:05 zones. And so we're working

10:07 towards progressing those 2

10:09 items and looking forward to

10:10 sharing how we're going to do

10:16 that in presentation. Quick

10:16 reminder of why Dottie

10:17 supports are and shared bike

10:19 and scooter program. I think

10:21 you all know this that this is

10:23 how we provide affordable,

10:25 accessible transportation

10:27 options. There's over. 21.

10:28 Almost 22,000 trips, every

10:30 single day on average and

10:33 amber in our survey that

10:35 conducted last year. We heard

10:36 loud and clear from our users

10:38 that they are writing to get

10:39 to work, to get to health

10:40 care, to give the transit

10:44 stations. We also know that

10:45 this is an important tool that

10:47 replaces car trips. So if

10:50 people want do a shorter trip

10:52 or maybe a last minute trip

10:53 rather than calling it a

10:54 number or a Lyft. They can

10:56 find a scooter or shared bike.

10:56 Hopefully nearby and get where

10:58 they need to go. And then

11:03 last, we're excited that.

11:06 We've been working partnering

11:07 Rtd on their first last Mile

11:10 program where we will have

11:11 pilots stations at the

11:13 University of Denver. So do

11:16 you and Knox stations where

11:18 individuals using will be able

11:21 mile free when accessing those

11:21 to get their first and last

11:24 2 light rail stations.

11:29 Here's a graph you've seen

11:30 before. But really just

11:34 emphasizing we believe that

11:35 the transition of the program

11:36 and vendors this summer has

11:39 been incredibly successful.

11:40 You know, the last couple

11:42 years talked out about 6.6

11:45 we're on track to achieve

11:45 million rides annually and

11:50 about that same amount. I'll

11:51 remind everyone that one of

11:58 the we didn't want to do with

11:59 this program a drop in

12:02 ridership through the

12:03 transition months. Recognizing

12:05 that we do want people to find

12:06 out that there's a new vendor

12:08 on day one and then not being

12:08 able able to get to work or

12:10 not be able to get to a

12:12 doctor's appointment. And so

12:13 we were really excited to see

12:16 that ridership has continued

12:16 to grow even through this

12:20 transition. And I think that's

12:21 education and outreach that

12:24 been doing in order to really

12:26 amplify people to get enrolled

12:28 in the new access program or

12:30 the resident program or get

12:32 enrolled when they find a

12:32 scooter on the streets has

12:37 been a very successful that

12:39 has scaled up to 9,000 flee in

12:40 an incredible amount of time.

12:41 So we were really happy to see

12:45 that as well. I'm here. You

12:46 all know this line as well.

12:47 But we wanted to just take a

12:50 moment to acknowledge that we

12:51 know that the shared bike and

12:53 scooter program touches a lot

12:55 of people, residents and

12:57 visitors and a lot of

12:59 different ways whether your

13:00 property owner and you have

13:00 devices parking in front of

13:03 your business store where a

13:06 homeowner who feels that there

13:08 are encroaching on your

13:09 private property or if you're

13:11 just walking around in your

13:11 neighborhood or downtown and

13:14 you're experiencing them

13:17 passing by, we recognize and

13:18 acknowledge all of those

13:20 concerns. And we share those

13:22 concerns and we want emphasize

13:23 that a lot of the strategies

13:26 we're going to go through are

13:28 going to help progress. Those

13:30 challenges, but that those

13:32 those concerns really informed

13:33 to the last 18 months to 2

13:35 years that brought us through

13:39 the procurement, the

13:39 legislative changes and now

13:43 the new license agreement with

13:51 did incredible job scaling up

13:53 to 9,000 devices the Denver

13:56 market between bikes and

13:58 e-scooters on the right. You

14:00 can see the breakdown of their

14:02 types of devices. So across

14:04 the 9,000 they've got about

14:05 2500 that are the standing

14:06 e-scooters. Then they got

14:10 about 5 1000 of the cosmos

14:11 seated scooters, 1500 of the

14:13 Apollo tandem in cargo and

14:15 then 50 of the new rover

14:16 Trikes. And here we just want

14:20 to emphasize that one of the

14:22 things that set a part in the

14:23 procurement was them flipping

14:25 the ratio of seeded to

14:25 standing devices. So here you

14:31 can see that now. Over 70% of

14:32 the fleet is a device. And on

14:36 top of that, over 75% of all

14:37 rights being taken are being

14:40 taken on a seated device. And

14:43 so not only has great because

14:43 we feel it offers more

14:48 stability. Just and more more

14:50 intuitive for riders to know

14:51 that if you are on a cd,

14:53 device that you should be in a

14:56 bike lane or you should ride

14:58 where bicycles typically,