E-scooters have arrived in Colorado Springs!
E-scooters are a popular mode of “micro-mobility” transportation in cities across America and now in Colorado Springs. The City of Colorado Springs is conducting a one-year pilot program beginning October 2021 and has selected the scooter sharing operators Lime and Veo to participate in the pilot.
E-scooters provide an alternative, flexible and affordable way for people to travel short distances and can help reduce vehicle traffic and free-up parking.
E-scooters are particularly suited for urban areas, where they can support the needs beyond walking distance without the use of personal vehicles. Visitors can park once, then travel through the city core via scooter.
Scooters can also help address “first and last mile” challenges for transit users improving mobility from bus stops to/from final destinations. (Note: rented scooters are not allowed in Mountain Metro Transit buses or vehicles.)
How to Ride
How it works
Each e-scooter company operates a little differently, but they all require an app to access and use their scooters. Begin by downloading the app and creating an account. From there you can find scooters and go!
Lime
Veo
Hours
Scooters are only operable between the hours of 5 a.m. and 11 p.m.
Cost
Lime
$1 to unlock, 29 cents per minute
Lime Access provides discounted fares of .50 to unlock and .07 per minute to qualifying riders in the United States, and access to Lime scooters for people without smartphones or credit cards. To qualify, an individual must demonstrate participation in an eligible local, state or federal public benefits program. Apply to Lime Access.
Veo
$1 to unlock, 31 cents per minute
Veo Access Pricing - $0 to unlock, 31 cents per minute. Anyone who qualifies for a Colorado Springs local, Colorado State, or federal assistance program, such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or Health First Colorado, is eligible for Veo Access Colorado Springs discounts. Apply to Veo Access.
Where you can ride
E-scooters will be available in much of the City’s central area including Downtown and the Westside. The City will consider expansion to other areas based on the success of the pilot program.
Lime Service Area Map
Veo Service Area Map
Know the Rules
Text Version: Know the Rules
- Obey all traffic laws
- Obey all traffic laws including stop signs, traffic lights, signaling turns and following the direction of traffic. Riders may be ticketed for violating traffic laws.
- Ride in the bike lane or to the right of street lanes
- On streets with a speed limit over 35 mph, scooters may be ridden on the sidewalk
- Slow zones
- Scooters may be configured to limit speeds in higher density areas that are not safe at 15 miles per hour.
- No-ride zones
- E-scooters will stop working in designated no-ride zones, including sidewalks in high pedestrian areas, fast streets, parks and trails. See the no-ride zone tab for specifics.
- Park responsibly
- See the parking tab for more info.
- No riders under 18
- No sharing
- Only one rider on a scooter at a time.
- Don’t drink and ride!
- Never ride while under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
- Helmets strongly encouraged
- See more safety tips on the company websites
No-Ride Zones
E-scooters will stop working in designated no-ride zones, including sidewalks in high pedestrian areas, fast streets, parks and trails.
No-Ride Zones
- Sidewalks in busy pedestrian areas - e-scooters are not permitted on sidewalks in the Downtown core, Old Colorado City, and other no-ride areas as shown in the company’s e-scooter app.
- High speed streets - e-scooters are not permitted on streets with posted speeds greater than 35 mph.
- Parks & Trails – e-scooters are not permitted in City parks or on City trails.
- Other designated no-ride zones - other zones may be specified by signage or in the app, including Colorado College and University of Colorado Colorado Springs
Scooter Parking
Do park in designated parking areas
Downtown and Old Colorado City
In the Downtown core and Old Colorado City, e-scooters must be parked in designated parking areas only. Each providers app will provide the location of parking and parking areas will be visibly marked. Both Lime and Veo provide incentives for leaving scooters in designated areas.
Outside of the Downtown core and Old Colorado City, e-scooters must be parked out of the way of pedestrian and vehicle traffic, and in an up-right position.
Don’t obstruct walkways or traffic!
Do not leave an e-scooter where it will block sidewalks, driveways, fire hydrants, parking meters, walkways, wheelchair ramps, pedestrian call buttons, bus stops, entrances to buildings, ADA door push buttons, or obstruct pedestrian or vehicle traffic in any way. Also, do not park on private property unless specifically allowed by the e-scooter company. Scooters cannot be parked in the roadway except for within designated scooter parking areas.
Snap a photo
Don’t forget to snap a photo of your properly parked scooter and upload it to the app to confirm it’s parked appropriately.
E-scooter companies are responsible for promptly retrieving any e-scooter that is not parked correctly. E-scooter companies will enforce penalties, including banning users, if e-scooters are parked incorrectly.
Report Improperly Parked Scooters
Anyone may move a mis-parked scooter to a proper location. Or, to report e-scooters that are parked improperly, blocking the public right of way, or abandoned, contact the company directly (company contact information can also be found on the e-scooter):
- Lime, 1-888-546-3345, support@li.me
- Veo, 719-220-0465, hello@veoride.com
If reports of improperly parked scooters are not promptly resolved by the operators within two hours of reporting during the hours of 8 a.m. and 10 p.m., you may contact the City’s Neighborhood Services division to remove and impound the devices.
About the Pilot Program
The City of Colorado Springs is conducting a one-year pilot program, beginning October 2021, to learn about the potential demand for shared e-scooters, their benefits to our community, and potential impacts. The City will conduct a six-month check-in with each company to evaluate successes and challenges and make any adjustments as necessary.
We are committed to ensuring the safe use of e-scooters and maintaining the safety of our streets, sidewalks, and neighborhoods. Colorado Springs has the benefit of learning from many other cities and will be implementing best practices and lessons learned. This includes conducting a competitive RFP process to select companies based on how they manage the e-scooter share program and implementing operational requirements such as speed limits (15 mph) and parking requirements.
In addition to new micro-mobility services being locally available, the City will be receiving fees from both operators to off-set any potential local expenses. This includes: $75 per scooter per year; $40 per scooter station; as well as a $0.10 per ride contribution for construction of new bike lanes and other multi-mobility infrastructure
The new e-scooter share program will help the City address several mobility goals, including the City’s Comprehensive PlanA comprehensive plan is a guiding document that provides a framework for city policies and priorities regarding the physical development of the city. It is a long-range vision of what we want our city to become and is a tool for making decisions about how that vision should be achieved. It outlines strategic steps to make the vision a reality and provides targeted and strategic planning of the physical development of the city. Goal to “multimodally connect people and land uses throughout the city and region.”