New Columbus scooter, bike rentals target mid-March launch

Driving the news: In December, the City Council authorized the Department of Public Service to make VeoRide Inc. the city's exclusive vendor of bike and scooter rentals, replacing CoGo bikes and scooter renters like Bird, Lime and Spin.

• The deal moves from a permit system and dock rental agreement that cost the city around $1 million per year to a fee and revenue sharing system projected to bring in six figures annually.

The latest: CoGo, which operated the city's first major bike share program, announced to customers its local service will end Friday.

Yes, but: An agreement with Veo is still not finalized with a launch expected "around mid-March," a Columbus public service spokesperson tells Axios.

What's next: A Veo spokesperson tells us the company is "eager to hit the ground rolling" with 500 vehicles in March, and has finalized vehicle selections.

• Options will eventually include the Astro standing scooter, Cosmo seated scooter, Halo pedal-assist e-bike, Halo pedal bike and Apollo two-seated e-bike.