Imagine yourself gliding up Cyclotron Road without a car or without breaking a sweat. Impossible? Not with the introduction of the sit-down scooter to the Lab. The sit-down scooter, provided by Veo, is already on the streets of Berkeley, Oakland, and Emeryville.
Beginning May 8, the geofence that kept the shared sit-down scooters from the Lab’s hillsite has been lifted. This change means you can grab a scooter from Veo parking locations near the BART station or around town, ride up Cyclotron Road, and leave the scooter at bike racks or unmarked locations that do not impede foot traffic and are at least 10 feet from doors and stairways. To use Veo, you must first download the app and open an account.
The scooter’s top speed is 15 m.p.h., which conforms nicely to the Lab’s speed limit of 15 m.p.h. Helmets must be worn; you must ride in a bike lane or on the street, and obey all traffic laws, including yielding to pedestrians. The scooters have lights for visibility, hand brakes, and turn signals. It costs $1 to unlock the scooter, then 39 cents per minute to ride it. There are discounts for low-income residents. You can see the closest Veo parking location using the map on the app.
Look for more information in the next few days in Elements on how you can test drive a Veo – and get a free helmet – on Wednesday, May 17, at lunchtime.
