Alexandra Martinakova photo
A lone scooter parked right under a no parking sign, on a sidewalk no less.
Sonia Ahmed photo
Three scooters parked on the sidewalk outside of the Green.
Among the usual traffic of cars, buses and school shuttles, Ernesto Marin scooted down College Street — on his own scooter, even though the newly available Veo scooters were parked just a few yards down the street.
“I heard about them,” Marin said about the city’s newest form of non-car transportation. “But they said that they are expensive and you have to pay, you cannot take them too far from here.” So he decided to ride on his own scooter instead.
The rent-per-ride e‑scooters that Marin didn’t use Monday hit downtown in late May, are owned by the company Veo and have been welcomed to the city as part of broader context of non-car transportation, including New Haven’s bike share program and the government-subsidized rideshare-style system called Via.
Veo scooters cost $1 to unlock and 40 cents per minute to ride, but boast a $5 off deal for first time riders, as announced in a tag tied to the handlebars. They can only be used in and around downtown, and only by riders 18 or older. (Click here to read about the “Veo Access” program, which further discounts for certain riders who receive subsidized rent, are on Medicaid, or on food stamps, among other qualifications.)
Marin opts to use his own scooter, scooting all the way from East Haven to the food truck where he works — Genesis Authentic Mexican Food on College Street, right outside of Yale’s Old Campus.
He said that where he lives, the bus can take an hour between rides. “So if you don’t catch one you have to wait an hour,” Marin said. That makes scooting easier. “If you know how to use it, it’s a lot better for you. You take about the same time to go from one place to another if you go on a bus.”
Marin believes that the Veo scooters are still a good idea, especially for students around the area to be able to get from one place to another quickly.
However, a quick stroll around downtown Monday showed more scooters lying around outside of their designated parking spots and on sidewalks than people actively riding them.
Sonia Ahmed photo
Genesis Authentic Mexican Food food truck on College Street outside of Yale's Old Campus.
Alexandra Martinakova photo
Two scooters parked right outside Yale's post office on Elm Street, blocking the post box.
Alexandra Martinakova photo
The farther away from downtown's center, the less scooters are getting used, but at least they are all in their designated parking spot -- at the intersection of Ashmun Street and Tower Parkway.
Alexandra Martinakova photo
Three scooters parked right outside Yale's Grad School of Arts and Sciences, no parking spot in sight.
Alexandra Martinakova photo
On a sidewalk on State Street with low battery, according to the Veo app.
Sonia Ahmed photo
Lone scooter left Downtown.
Sonia Ahmed photo
Two scooters parked in a designated scooter parking spot in Ninth Square.