Veo, a Santa Monica-based e-scooter and bike operator hoping to enter the Denver market, hit a bump as members of a Denver City Council committee balked at advancing its deal without first reviewing the contract.

The proposed three-year contract would replace the current operators, Lime and Bird, with a single company, Veoride Inc. The decision came after months of public testimony from riders who rely on the system as a primary form of transportation. 

Denver’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure selected Veo to be the city’s next shared scooter and bike operator, with the transition anticipated to occur in the spring of 2026 when the city’s license agreements with Bird and Lime expire.

Should the resolution be adopted, the rollout to Veo would happen around May 1.

But for some, the quick changeover from Lime and Bird is concerning and has prompted requests for the city for another 12- to 18-month extension to avoid disruption.

Among those who depend on Denver’s shared bike and scooter program are low-income residents who rely on the city’s Free-Ride “Access” program to get to and from work, appointments and school.

The Lime Access program offers free, 30-minute bike and scooter rides for eligible riders.

Denver resident Braden Davis said the program has helped him obtain and keep a job.

“I trust Lime because it’s been there for me for nine years, through three different, four different moves, all across the country, and it has helped me be independent and keep a job outside of the RTD bus schedule,” Davis said during a March 23 City Council meeting. “Say like, RTD closes at 10 p.m. Well, my job closes at 11 p.m., so I can use the Lime scooter to go home.”

Downtown residents, on the other hand, argue that the change is long overdue, citing illegally parked scooters that clutter sidewalks and block access.

Others say the two-vendor model is inefficient.

“The two vendor model creates a fragmented system that is difficult to manage and even harder to enforce, said Mike Miller, a co-chair of the Lower Downtown Denver Neighborhood Association’s pedestrian safety committee. “Two vendors means two technology stacks, two rider interfaces and two separate data environments. When issues arise, whether it’s unsafe riding, speed limits, zones, or improper parking, you must coordinate with two companies operating under two different policies and practices.”

In this case, the city “receives incomplete or, at best, siloed data about rider behavior, safety and injuries, and that fragmentation slows down problem-solving and weakens accountability,” Miller added.

Riders, he said, most likely experience similar troubles navigating multiple apps to report issues.

However, the bigger issue stems from a lack of transparency and city leaders being asked to approve a major public contract without full visibility.

Denver City Council President Amanda Sandoval repeatedly pressed DOTI officials during a March 18 committee meeting, saying she had not seen the contract or the scoring sheet used to evaluate competing proposals.

“I need to see the scoring, and I need to see the contract,” she said. “I don’t vote on a scope of work. I vote on a contract.”

Denver Gazette news partner 9NEWS has requested those documents multiple times from the city but has been denied each time.

DOTI officials said they are committed to providing the requested documents to the council ahead of the next vote on April 1.

The Denver Gazette’s news partner 9News contributed to this story. Visit this link to read this story and more.