Veo, one of the three participating e-scooter companies in the DOT’s e-scooter program, is partnering with Captur, an AI company, to bring AI-powered parking to Queens.
According to Veo, Captur’s technology has proven to reduce mis-parked vehicles by over 80% in major European cities, which the company believes will translate to its U.S. market.
Veo announced the news in a statement on Wednesday, Oct. 30, highlighting that this would be the first-ever U.S. deployment of Captur’s in-app AI program. The program is slated to roll out in November in Queens and the Bronx, along with other major U.S. cities where Veo scooters are operated.
The AI-powered parking compliance tool will use the camera function in Veo’s app to verify if a rider’s parked scooter meets local parking regulations. Riders can only end their trip once the vehicle is deemed parked correctly. Captur uses state-of-the-art technology that adapts to local parking regulations or vehicle types to verify the parked e-scooter.
According to Veo, the technology performs better than GPS alone, and cities and operators can use the resulting data to implement better parking infrastructure improvements. Additionally, the program will reduce the need for workers to manually review end-of-ride photos to confirm proper parking.
Veo co-founder and CEO Candice Xie said the company has a longstanding commitment with community stakeholders to ensure responsible parking practices. Xie noted that through work with the disability community, the company recognizes first-hand that sidewalks must stay clear and accessible.
“Captur’s ability to harness AI to deliver on this commitment in a scalable manner is a game changer. We hope that the rest of the industry will follow suit and adopt this technology, ensuring that micromobility continues to grow in a way that benefits all members of our communities,” she added in a statement.
Charlotte Bax, founder and CEO of Captur, echoed Xie’s views on the importance of ensuring accessible sidewalks. “On the operator side, that requires image-based compliance workflows. Previously, that was extremely complex and costly for operators to manage. With our partnership, Veo can now verify parking before ending the ride with no manual intervention. We’re thrilled to partner with Veo, whose commitment to inclusive urban mobility and accessibility makes them the ideal ally in rolling this technology out across the nation,” Bax said in a statement
Veo’s announcement follows months of complaints about mis-parked scooters from residents of southeast and northeast Queens, the two areas in the borough participating in the DOT’s e-scooter expansion program.
Local elected officials, including Council Member Sandra Ung, Sen. Leroy Comrie, and Speaker Adrienne Adams, have also pushed back against the program. In September, Ung announced she was introducing legislation to ban the e-scooter program in Flushing, citing that mis-parked e-scooters have plagued Flushing and created trip hazards for seniors. In October, Sen. Leroy Comrie and Adams held a press conference in southeast Queens, calling on the DOT to immediately pause and reset the e-scooter program, citing similar concerns about e-scooters being mis-parked in front of businesses, residential areas, and sidewalks.
In its statement announcing the implementation of the AI-powered parking program, Veo acknowledged that improper parking has been a challenge since the widespread launch of shared bikes and scooters across the U.S. in 2017. Additionally, the company stated that while designated corrals and rider education have helped, more is needed to ensure the e-cooters are parked responsibly and safely on sidewalks.
