Mayor D.C. Reeves announced today that Pensacola will terminate its contract with VEO scooters effective November 1, citing resident survey data showing a clear majority of concerns about the program’s value to the community.
Speaking at his weekly press conference on August 26, Reeves explained that while VEO had conducted its own customer survey, it represented “a very, very small sample size” that didn’t capture the full picture.
- “I was elected by the residents of this city,” Reeves emphasized. “We wanted it to be a great place for visitors where they have fun, but our residents’ opinion matters on this program as well.”
When asked what they would prefer the city do when the contract expires this fall, 616 survey respondents replied:
- Remove the scooters: 51.45%
- Renew the contract: 31.45%
- Unsure: $16.86
Downtown Not Built For Scooters
The mayor was careful not to place blame on Veo as a company, instead pointing to fundamental infrastructure challenges.
- “I don’t put this in any way on the specific operation of VEO or anything that they’ve done right or wrong,” he said. “I just think our city infrastructure is not built the way it is in larger cities, where you have these protected bike lanes.”
This infrastructure gap has created confusion for users about where scooters should operate—whether on sidewalks, roads, or bike lanes. “The city of Pensacola doesn’t really have the built environment to make that clear the way that you’d see it in larger cities where these programs are a little more successful.”
Usage data also revealed the program wasn’t meeting its intended goals. Despite the “noble” idea of helping residents without vehicle access, the scooters weren’t seeing regular use in lower-income areas of the city. Additionally, costs were comparable to ride-sharing services for longer trips.
- However, Reeves stressed this isn’t a permanent rejection of alternative transportation. “We are open to multimodal solutions moving forward,” he said, expressing particular interest in manual bicycle rental programs. “This is not never again—we should always be looking for opportunities.”
The mayor framed the decision as the natural conclusion of what was always intended as a trial program, emphasizing the city’s commitment to remain “open-minded if there’s another [option] that comes along.”…