Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

DDOT Reinforces Electric Scooter Regulations

SHEEL PATEL/THE HOYA
The District Department of Transportation is augmenting its regulations of electric scooters and other dockless vehicles.

Requirements of a new permit application for dockless vehicle companies operating in Washington, D.C., will restrict electric scooter and bike speeds and require dockless vehicle companies to pay higher fees, the District Department of Transportation announced Nov. 5.

Under the new guidelines, set to go into effect in January 2019, dockless vehicle companies that wish to continue operating in D.C. will have to pay a higher permit fee of up to $5 per vehicle per month. Annual permit fees for the company could reach $36,000.

The new limitations come after recent calls for greater transportation safety regulations by city officials following the deaths of two bicycle and electric scooter riders.

The dockless vehicle guidelines seek to accommodate transportation alternatives while addressing concerns of rider safety, according to DDOT Director Jeff Marootian.

“We are upholding Mayor [Muriel] Bowser’s commitment to fostering innovation and competition among the many operators in this space while also delivering the safest, most sustainable, and most efficient transportation options to District residents and visitors,” Marootian said in the news release.

The permit fee will go toward ensuring the enforcement, evaluation and administration of each program. An additional $10,000 deposit from dockless vehicle companies to DDOT will function as a performance bond meant to serve as a guarantee that a company is meeting the requirements and removing unsafe or abandoned vehicles from public use, according to the Nov. 5 news release.

Dockless vehicle companies must also reduce their electric scooter speeds from 15 miles per hour to 10 mph, per the new guidelines.

Companies will be allowed to increase the number of vehicles from 400 to 600 per electric vehicle permit, allowing companies to have a maximum of 600 bikes and 600 scooters in service. To increase their fleet size, companies must first receive a favorable quarterly evaluation from DDOT. In an effort to encourage adaptive vehicles, dockless vehicles available for use by people with disabilities will not be counted toward the fleet size cap, according to the news release.

Several electric vehicle companies in the District have already expressed frustration with the increased regulations and limited expansion. Other cities implementing dockless vehicle programs like Seattle have already permitted up to 20,000 shareable bikes to operate in public.

The new permit restrictions limit the environmental benefits of electric scooter programs, according to David Estrada, head of government partnerships for scooter company Bird.

“The Department of Transportation’s proposal for its shared e-scooter program would render it impossible for any provider to serve the D.C. community and truly advance the shared mission of reducing short car strips and taking meaningful action in the fight against climate change,” Estrada wrote in a letter to Bowser.

While the potential to increase the number of vehicles in a company’s fleet allows the needs of more customers to be met, the mandated fleet size is insufficient to serve D.C.’s demand, Maggie Gendron, director of strategic development for scooter company Lime, wrote in an email to The Hoya.

“We appreciate the District welcoming greener and more affordable shared mobility options and Lime is eager to continue to partner with the city over the long term, though the proposed 600 vehicles are simply not enough to meet the city’s transportation needs,” Gendron wrote.

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