Four Scooter Companies Will Leave D.C. In April, After Unsuccessful Appeals

toggle caption Jacob Fenston/WAMU

The District's Department of Transportation has made a final decision on which four scooter companies will operate in the city come April 1: Jump, Lyft, Skip and Spin.

That's the original list of companies DDOT said it would issue 2020 permits to late last year. But then, facing frustration from operators that didn't make the cut, the department allowed unsuccessful companies to appeal the decision, and extended their permits until the end of March.

"We wanted to make sure that companies who were not selected as part of the initial review had an opportunity to appeal the decision, to have an independent review of their application to make sure it was scored and evaluated fairly," said DDOT Director Jeff Marootian.

But none of those appeals were successful. Bird, Lime, Bolt and Razor — companies that have scooter fleets in D.C. — will now have to close up shop in April.

"The conclusion of the hearing officer was that the overall process was fair," said DDOT Director Jeff Marootian.

On the original permit application, companies were scored on a 198-point scoring system. 25% of the score dealt with companies' "historical behavior," and the rest looked at the company's future operational plans, education and equity proposals, and data collection and protection methods.

Some companies that didn't make the cut have raised questions about the rubric. Published results from the permit application process show, for instance, that Lime received the highest score for its track record in the District — but didn't ultimately secure a 2020 permit.

"We're disappointed with this decision and will continue to explore our options to keep serving D.C. residents," a spokesman for Lime said in an emailed statement.

And one company that will continue operating in D.C. doesn't have a spotless safety record. Over the summer, a number of Skip scooters caught fire, prompting DDOT to temporarily order the company to suspend its operations in D.C. for 30 days while Skip performed an internal safety audit. The company's examination found that the culprit was faulty lithium batteries.

Nevertheless, Marootian was confident that the scooter operators selected in the 2020 permit process were up to standard.

"Safety is the most important component of this program," he said. "Companies were evaluated not only on their past safety performance but also on their plans to ensure the safety of riders in the future."

In fact, the original reason DDOT decided to scale back the number of scooter companies operating in the District, Marootian told WAMU, is to allow the department to provide better oversight. That includes equipment testing conducted by the department.

"We know that by limiting it to four companies, we're able to better manage the program, allow those companies to add more scooters, but also to make sure that the public is safe, that our sidewalks are clear, and that we have a well-managed scooter micromobility process going forward," he said.

The four successful companies — Jump, Lyft, Skip and Spin — will now be able to scale up significantly. Each operator will be able to put 2,500 vehicles on D.C. streets, for a total of 10,000 scooters in the city. Currently, the operators have fewer than 1000 scooters apiece.

As for the other companies that will now have to end their D.C. operations? Marootian said DDOT would re-evaluate the program again at the end of this year, and there would be a chance to re-apply.