Sarasota city officials will launch a micromobility program in March, when contractor Veo will dispatch 350 to 400 scooters and 50 to 75 bicycles available for rent. The same company has a program running in St. Petersburg.

City commissioners unanimously voted in January in favor of the program. “I think it will improve transportation options in a quick and efficient and sustainable way,” said City Commissioner Hagen Brody at the dais. While questions arose about the cost of rentals and the retrieval of abandoned vehicles, commissioners voted in favor or trying the program for two years in the city.

Scooters may be unlocked with a mobile phone app for $1 and will cost 37 cents a minute. Bikes, meanwhile, will rent for 50 cents an hour. A special Veo access program will also offer discount prices for low-income individuals who qualify with the city, Veo will set up rental stations and corrals for the bikes and scooters at no cost to the city, but the city will receive a share of revenue collected.

City Commissioner Jennifer Ahearn-Koch had initially expressed skepticism about scooters in Sarasota after seeing problems with a similar program in Los Angeles, but said Veo has largely addressed concerns. That includes allowing individuals using the app to park bikes and scooters away from corrals if they send a picture of the vehicle properly parked in a legal location.

“I’m not going to say that there aren’t going to be problems, that there aren’t going to be issues, that you’re not going to have to adjust your plan or how many you roll out or where they are corralled and all of that,” she told Veo executives at a city meeting. “But I never had even a glimmer of hope that this could work in our city until I fully read your proposal.”

The company has been putting in geo-fencing to make sure the rented units only work in designated areas of the city.

Veo officials stressed a record of success, with 35 programs running nationwide. “We have never made headlines about working without a contract, dumping scooters or bikes on city streets and looking for forgiveness late,” said Alex Keating, Veo director of public policy and partnering. “We only operated with contracts in long-term agreements where we look for deep collaboration with our partners.”