Denver tests free scooter rides to boost transit

Driving the news: First Mile Free, a two-year pilot launched Oct. 1, automatically takes $2.95 off Veo scooter and e-bike trips ending at the University of Denver or Knox RTD stations.

• The pilot doubles as an effort to steer scooters off sidewalks and toward transit stations.

• First Mile Free founder Joel Cox, who's running for Denver City Council District 6, tells Axios it's "the first pilot of its kind in the country."

Follow the money: A nearly $123,000 RTD grant and more than $65,000 from Veo are funding the program.

Zoom in: Organizers will compare trips ending at the stations with existing Veo and historical city data to see whether the discount changes rider behavior.

• They'll also survey riders about whether the price break influences their decision to take transit.

Between the lines: Organizers chose two very different locations to test rider behavior, Cox says.

• DU serves students, staff and surrounding neighborhoods that are relatively well off.
• Meanwhile organizers chose Knox because they wanted a station in West Denver where they could reach more riders who aren't already eligible for free trips through Veo's low-income program.

The big picture: First Mile Free builds on a broader Denver strategy to make scooters and e-bikes more accessible outside the city center — an approach new research suggests is working.

• Researchers studying 13 U.S. cities found Denver and Baltimore were the only places where such policies significantly increased scooter availability.

Case in point: Denver's rules added an estimated 70 scooters per square kilometer in targeted areas, closing about 85% of the availability gap with central neighborhoods.

What's next: Cox says the goal is to expand First Mile Free to more RTD stations — and potentially citywide — if the pilot works.