SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — Veo bikes–a popular self-service bicycle transportation program– are proving to be harder to use than people had imagined.
Syracuse resident Rachel Opas says while trying to unlock some bikes using the Veo app, “It just wasn’t unlocking multiple bikes at the same time. Like if one person wanted to buy time on both of them, only one of them would unlock.”
Some residents are also concerned about how safe Veo bikes are to ride. Resident Colette King is worried about Syracuse University students in particular.
“I think it’s unsafe, because a lot of kids who drink go on them and try to have some fun with that,” King said. “I think it can be very unsafe on a college campus.”
Veo released a survey report in 2022 that stated 49% of users chose Veo bikes to ride around for fun, and not as a main source of transportation.
One resident says he has no interest in using a Veo bike. “I usually just use my car to get around,” said Marty Dwyer.