Scooters And Electric Bikes Are Back in Downtown Cedar Rapids

Love them or hate them, be on the lookout for them! Scooters and electric bicycles are officially back on the streets of downtown Cedar Rapids.

The Cedar Rapids Gazette reports that the scooters and bikes actually returned this past Saturday to the downtown area. The city works with Chicago-based Veo, which annually brings in the scooters and e-bikes and sets them up in the streets of downtown Cedar Rapids. If you've never hopped on for a ride, you should! They're a lot of fun and are a convenient way to get to an event if you're parked a good distance away. Why walk when you can ride? I personally like the sit-down scooters!

Ryan Brainard

Not everyone is a fan of the scooters, as some riders have used them inappropriately. The Gazette reports that the city of Cedar Rapids made several changes to the program last year aimed at improving safety, including;

ID verification technology to make sure riders are at least 18 years old.
Riders have to take a safety quiz at the start of each riding session.
Idle time for VEO staff to pick up devices outside of marked areas is 48 hours.
Technology will prevent the devices from being driven in certain special event areas as defined by the city.

If you want to hop on for a ride this season, just get your account set up through the VEO app. Users can also set up group rides for up to four people through the app, according to the Gazette. The cost to unlock a scooter or bike is $1, and fees per minute vary based on what you're riding.