MYNORTHWEST NEWS

Seattle’s newest bikeshare provider expected to hit the streets in 2022

Dec 13, 2021, 12:35 PM

bikeshare...

Courtesy of Veo

Expanding Seattle’s car-alternative transportation options, a new bikeshare program is coming to Seattle.

Veo, which touts itself as the first profitable micro-mobility company, has been approved by the Seattle Department of Transportation as the city’s newest bikeshare provider. The company will join Lime as one of two providers of electric bicycle rental services.

Veo has been permitted to deploy 1,500 bikes in the Seattle area. The company plans to gradually ramp up operations in the next few months, beginning with just 500 bikes.

SDOT reports that since 2019, Seattle has taken nearly 2.9 million bikeshare trips, with roughly 9.8 million miles traveled.

Lime, formerly Limebike, resumed operation in the summer of 2020 after a merger with Jump (a subsidiary of Uber), acquiring 500 of the company’s red Jump bikes throughout the city. Lime was among three companies which participated in SDOT’s original free-floating bikeshare program in 2017. In 2019, the company phased out its traditional bicycles, pivoting to the electric bikes now seen throughout the city. Lime’s two competitors — Spin and Ofo — exited the market in 2018.

Seattle bikeshare history 101

As part of the city’s attempt to improve its micro-mobility infrastructure, SDOT also partners with four scooter share companies: Lime, Wheels, LINK, and the aforementioned Spin. SDOT reports that more than 2.2 million miles have been traveled via the scooter share program to date, for a rough 12 million total miles traveled through all of the city’s micro mobility, car-alternative commute options.

Founded in Chicago in 2017, Veo announced in July that it had raised $16 million in Series A funding. It operates similar bikeshare programs in New York City and Santa Monica.

Veo will provide discount pricing rates to low-income individuals “in support of their mission to provide mobility services to all,” as an SDOT update on the partnership reads.

Through permitting fees accepted by the city, SDOT plans to reinvest funds to improve its mobility services, giving “people with disabilities new opportunities to ride customized adaptive cycles that meet their specific needs,” the news release continues. That includes the Outdoors for All Foundation partnership, which provided free, adaptive cycling options for people of all abilities at Magnuson Park this past summer.

MyNorthwest News

Image: The awnings of a store advertise the sale of lottery tickets, including Mega Millions and Po...

Steve Coogan

Lottery jackpots update: Powerball prize jumps again after $1.1B Mega Millions win

A lottery jackpots update: The Powerball prize reached an estimated $935 million ahead of Saturday night's drawing.

8 hours ago

Photo: The Judge Patricia H. Clark Children and Family Justice Center....

James Lynch

King County’s plan to close youth detention center met with fierce backlash

The King County Law and Justice Committee received a final report on Executive Dow Constantine's plan to close a youth detention center.

10 hours ago

Image: A cargo ship is stuck under the part of the structure of the Francis Scott Key Bridge after ...

Associated Press

Authorities identify 2 bodies recovered at site of Baltimore bridge collapse

A major bridge in Baltimore snapped and collapsed after a container ship rammed into it early Tuesday, and several vehicles fell into the river below.

12 hours ago

Photo: Mountaineer Jim Whittaker has died at 95....

Gene Johnson, The Associated Press

Lou Whittaker, among the most famous American mountaineers, has died at age 95

Lou Whittaker, a legendary American mountaineer who helped lead ascents of Mount Everest, K2 and Denali, has died at age 95.

12 hours ago

File photo: Former Sen. Joe Lieberman speaks in Washington on Jan. 18, 2024....

Associated Press

Former Sen. Joe Lieberman, Democrats’ VP pick in 2000, dead at 82

Former U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, who nearly won the vice presidency on the Democratic ticket with Al Gore in 2000, has died.

12 hours ago

Image: A Tacoma teen was shot outside her Tacoma Hilltop area apartment over the weekend....

Heather Bosch

Estranged boyfriend suspected in Tacoma teen’s death turns himself in

We're learning more about the man who's accused of fatally shooting a teenager outside her Tacoma Hill Top area apartment over the weekend.

13 hours ago

Seattle’s newest bikeshare provider expected to hit the streets in 2022