DC renews permits for most e-scooter companies

The D.C. Department of Transportation has renewed permits for four companies to continue operating shared e-scooters and shared e-bikes through the end of 2024.

The four companies are Lime, Lyft, Spin and VeoRide. Lyft operates e-scooters only. The others have fleets of both e-scooters and e-bikes.



The four companies own a total of almost 8,500 e-scooters and more than 3,700 e-bikes.

VeoRide is relatively new to the city. Its e-bikes have throttle-assist.

DDOT did not renew a permit for Bird Rides dockless e-scooters. Bird has filed an appeal of the decision in D.C. Superior Court.

DDOT has permitted private companies to operate shared “micromobility vehicles,” such as e-bikes and scooters, in public space since 2018. It works with permitted operators to ensure that shared scooters and bikes are distributed across all 8 Wards.

Data shows an average of 8,300 trips are taken by riders per day, traveling more than 10,000 miles per day.

The Shared Fleet Device program is separate from Capital Bikeshare, which is managed by DDOT.

Jeff Clabaugh

Jeff Clabaugh has spent 20 years covering the Washington region's economy and financial markets for WTOP as part of a partnership with the Washington Business Journal, and officially joined the WTOP newsroom staff in January 2016.

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