WASHINGTON — Expect to see more dockless bikes and scooters — a lot more — on D.C. streets in the next year.
D.C.’s Department of Transportation announced Friday that as many as 6,000 dockless vehicles-including electric scooters and motorized bikes-could be available to users in 2019.
That’s the number included in 10 permits already approved.
If all twelve operators meet DDOT’s performance standards, the number of dockless vehicles allowed on D.C. roads could expand to 16,800.
Jump, Bird, and Lime are among those that have been operating in the District and have conditional approval for 2019. Other companies include Hopr, Ridecell and Wind.
Officials at DDOT say requirements that operators have to meet provide more equitable access to potential users across the District of Columbia. Under the program, all twelve operators would offer unlimited half hour rides for free to users with incomes at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty guidelines. Users could also use cash to access the bikes or scooters — eliminating the need for a user to have a credit card in order to take advantage of the service.
In a statement released on Friday afternoon, DDOT Director Jeff Marootian said, “We have created new choices for residents in all eight wards while fostering a landscape of competition among operators that will reward the most innovative, safe and efficient providers of dockless bikes and scooters.”
