Denver committee pauses vote on Veo as single operator after public concern over ACCESS riders and transparency

The Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on March 18 heard DOTTI's recommendation to award a three-year license to Veo to operate Denver's shared bike-and-scooter program, but postponed formal action to April 1 after sustained public comment and members' requests for the contract and scoring details.

DOTTI legislative liaison Elena McWhorter described an 18-month procurement that prioritized Vision Zero safety goals, equity and affordable access. Nathan Pope, DOTTI's senior city planner who led the RFP, said Veo "demonstrated the strongest responses" in interviews, demonstrations and financial review. Council members were shown contract features aimed at riders and equity applicants: a roughly 10% lower base-per-minute rate (about 39' per minute), a Denver resident pass priced at 25' per minute, and a new income-qualified ACCESS benefit that gives 60 minutes free per day instead of three separate free rides.

"We're going to have better, more affordable pricing," Pope said, adding the contract includes market-transition and data-handoff requirements, 20 service-level metrics with escalating accountability, and a revenue-share model in which Veo would pay $250 per device per year (DOTTI estimated that would…