Hundreds of shared electric scooters won’t be kicked off D.C. streets on New Year’s Day after all, but there also will be no major immediate expansion as the District had hoped.
Several of the companies have appealed a decision earlier this month to grant new 2020 permits to a different mix of companies. The District aimed to vastly expand the number of dockless electric bikes and scooters on the streets but with fewer, different companies operating them.
Now, D.C.’s Department of Transportation will consider any appeals to the scooter company selections that are filed by Jan. 2, and a final decision on which scooter companies will be allowed to run the expanded program in 2020 will be issued by the end of February.
All currently operating scooter companies will be allowed to stay in operation in the District through at least March 31, the DDOT said Friday. They will continue to follow current rules.
The change does not impact the expansion of dockless electric bikes in D.C.
Those permits awarded earlier this month will be effective New Year’s Day, immediately allowing up to 5,000 e-bikes run by HelBiz, a new company to D.C., and Uber’s Jump.
