Council extends micromobility pilot for 12 months and authorizes Veo contract; council raises enforcement and speed concerns

The Dublin City Council voted April 21 to extend the city's micromobility pilot for 12 months and to authorize the city manager to enter a service-level and revenue-sharing agreement with Veo Ride Inc. Staff told council Veo was selected from six proposals evaluated by a regional steering committee and that the draft agreement includes operational restrictions, parking management, fleet distribution, revenue sharing with the city and no public subsidy.

What staff presented JM Rayburn presented an overview of the pilot, saying the original pilot launched May 1, 2022. Staff reviewed ridership data through 2024 and said rides grew about 10% since launch and that trip types shifted toward shorter, purpose-driven "first/last mile" trips. Rayburn said complaints dropped from 11 in the first year to 1 in the last year, a sign staff credited to police and vendor partnership.

The proposed Veo agreement Rayburn said Veo's proposal stood out for a diverse fleet (including seated options and e-bikes), a bike-share component, an operational model that includes revenue sharing and no public subsidy, and an estimated $3,800 in city trip revenues for the coming year using conservative assumptions from past ridership. The draft agreement was expected to run through Dec. 30, 2029, and Dublin may terminate with 90 days' notice. Veo planned a soft launch April 30 with a roughly 45-day initial deployment window and plans for increased device counts during the Memorial Tournament.

Council questions and concerns Council members asked whether the city or vendor controls the sign timing (staff confirmed the city will control programmable school-zone hardware in other agenda items and similarly asked about vendor control here; Rayburn said operations would be managed by Veo locally but with remote monitoring and city oversight). Council asked for a definition of "low speed" devices; staff said permitted devices would be governor-limited to no more than 15 miles per hour.

Multiple councilmembers raised concerns about privately owned high-speed motorized devices (described by one councilmember as motorcycle-like vehicles capable of 50+ mph) operating on sidewalks and shared paths. Staff said private devices cannot be regulated by the city beyond existing ordinances but that education, enforcement and forthcoming code amendments would be used to address misuse. Rayburn said staff will present draft code modifications later in 2025 to regulate device types and usage more explicitly.

Votes and terms Council approved Resolution 29-25 to extend the pilot and Resolution 30-25 to authorize the Veo agreement by roll call. The clerk recorded affirmative votes from the mayor and council members present.

Ending: The city will launch Veo operations April 30, monitor the pilot under the new agreement, and return to council with code proposals this year to clarify device classes, permitted locations and enforcement approaches.