Veo ‘dumps’ e-scooter service near Bronx River after devices end up in water

Stumped on how to solve e-scooters ending up in the Bronx River, one company has partially suspended service because of it.

Veo — one of the three e-scooter companies participating in the East Bronx e-scooter pilot — removed access along the Bronx River Parkway because of people regularly vandalizing the devices, throwing them into the river and abandoning them in the park, Veo spokesperson Page Miller told the Bronx Times. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBAEamk_mbg

“After discussing this issue with the City and local stakeholders, we made the difficult decision to temporarily suspend service in the area while we further evaluate the situation and explore long-term solutions,” Miller said. “As a reminder, if residents see anyone vandalizing or misusing vehicles, they should contact 311.”

To deter vandalism and vehicles ending up in the river, the company first geofenced the parkland that runs along the Bronx River Parkway earlier this summer. But when the problem persisted, the no-ride zone was expanded outside the park in late July, going from East 233rd Street down along Carpenter and Olinville avenues until Pelham Parkway, restricting access to Bronx Boulevard/Bronx Park East as well as Duncomb and Barker avenues and the side streets in between.

“This is a temporary measure intended to address a specific vandalism issue in the area until a long-term solution is identified,” Miller told the Bronx Times on Aug. 23, though the suspension currently remains in effect.

Jason McFarlane, a Wakefield resident who regularly rides e-scooters with more than 1,200 trips under his belt, told the Bronx Times removing access to the bike lanes along the Bronx River Parkway and Bronx Boulevard — which feel safer to travel on than other nearby options — was “one of the worst things Veo could have done.”

“Going through Bronx Park is like the safest way for me,” he said. “Every other street is riddled with potholes,…