The first mopeds will join the thousands of shared electric scooters and shared bikes on D.C. streets this weekend when New York-based Revel deploys its moped fleet.
Revel said it will roll out 400 street-legal mopeds across all eight D.C. wards. It also opened a warehouse in Ward 4 where the company will employ at least 30 local residents.
This is Revel’s first city expansion, beyond Queens and Brooklyn where its vehicles are available.
Would-be Revel moped riders must be at least 21, licensed drivers and will first be required to pass a safe driving record background check. They’ll have to enroll as registered users. Revel said in New York, approximately one out of every 12 applicants does not make it past the screening.
Moped speeds are capped at 30 mph and are limited to local streets. Each moped can carry two passengers.
Two helmets are also provided and required. A spokesman for Revel tells WTOP the helmets will be cleaned every two to three days, and hairnets will be provided for riders should they want to use them.
Riders are limited to the service area, which means they cannot leave the District’s boundaries.
Revel’s mopeds are registered with the D.C. Department of Motor Vehicles.
Revel’s mopeds cost $1 per person to start at 25 cents per minute to ride.
Revel is the first to be approved by the D.C. Department of Transportation for a four-month pilot to allow app-based, shared motor-driven cycles.
Several companies have been working with the District, or expressing interest, including Revel rival Muving.
WTOP has reached out to DDOT for more details about Revel’s arrival and other similar moped companies that have been approved to be part of the pilot.
