Carbondale staff and Veo outline AI tools and enforcement changes for e‑scooter program

Carbondale city planners, Southern Illinois University officials and Veo, the company that operates the city’s e‑scooter fleet, presented a three‑year program review and proposed contract updates that would add AI parking enforcement, tip‑over detection and year‑round operation.

The presentation to the Carbondale City Council on the micromobility program included usage data, an accessibility update and planned technology changes. City senior planner Molly Maxwell said the contract between Veo and the city automatically renewed on June 23, 2025, and that a memorandum of understanding had extended operation to November 2025 while staff seek changes to the program.

City officials said the scooters have filled a transportation gap between bus routes and walking distances and remain heavily used around Southern Illinois University (SIU) and downtown. Maxwell reported that, from May 2024 to May 2025, Veo recorded roughly 7,258 unique customers, about 139,444 rides, a median trip length of 1.2 miles and more than 226,000 miles ridden. The city and SIU each receive $0.10 per trip; the city uses its share to fund micromobility safety elements such as bike racks and bike repair stations.

Tina Bennett, assistant…