VeoRide finds a home in College Park
Photo obtained from VeoRide.
The University of Maryland and City of College Park officially welcomed the micro-mobility upstart VeoRide as the city’s new bike-sharing program.
With an official campus launch on Aug. 28, VeoRide introduces several affordable options for transportation on and around campus -- in addition to 150 pedal bikes, students and commuters will have access to 75 electric bikes and, for the first time in the city, 75 electric scooters.
The bikes and scooters feature a sleek turquoise and black design that stand out. Solar panels are strategically placed on the bikes to help charge and also make them accessible through QR-code activation.
Marta Woldu, the University of Maryland’s transportation demand management coordinator, said that the design, variety and the bikes’ strong durability were all factors in the partnership.
“VeoRide was really exciting to me because they were a vendor that was able to offer not just bikes and scooters, but a variety of bikes, electric bikes, and scooters.” Woldu said.
This bike-sharing system comes to College Park at no cost to the community as VeoRide generates revenue through rental fees.
Matt Briggs, VeoRide’s regional manager, said that success is measured by “consumer adoption and ridership” and that the mission is to simply help people move “from point A to point B and out of cars.”
Bikers and scooterists can access a bike or scooter through the VeoRide app. Locating, locking and unlocking are all done through the free app. Bikes can be parked at any traditional public bike rack, while scooters must be parked in designated parking spots placed around campus.
Jacob Cooper, a senior electrical engineering major and frequent biker, would like to use the VeoRide system but has reservations because of cost. “If the dollar to start was waived, and it was just 15 cents a minute, I’d definitely be more willing to,” Cooper said.
On top of the $1 base cost, pedal bike riders will pay an additional 5 cents per minute, while e-bike and e-scooters riders pay an additional 15 cents per minute.
BikeUMD and VeoRide began hosting safety demos around campus on Sept. 3 and will continue to do so every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday until Sept. 19. Students, faculty, and staff members are welcome to test the bikes and e-scooters and will be awarded a free BikeUMD helmet and $5 rider credit.
You can view the schedule of the next test drive demos here.