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The GW Hatchet

AN INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SERVING THE GW COMMUNITY SINCE 1904

The GW Hatchet

Serving the GW Community since 1904

The GW Hatchet

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DDOT to halve number of scooter companies operating in D.C. next year

The+Lyft-brand+scooters+go+10+mph+and+allow+riders+to+make+stops+during+their+ride+with+a+pause+function%2C+where+you+will+be+charged+15+cents+per+minute+without+giving+up+your+scooter.++
Hatchet File Photo
The Lyft-brand scooters go 10 mph and allow riders to make stops during their ride with a pause function, where you will be charged 15 cents per minute without giving up your scooter.

Half of D.C.’s scooter companies will be off the District’s streets next year.

The District Department of Transportation announced Tuesday that it would grant permits for four dockless scooter companies – Jump, Lyft, Skip and Spin — to continue operating in D.C. in 2020, DCist reported Tuesday. Bird, Lime, Razor and Bolt will no longer have permits to operate in the District next year.

DDOT raised the number of scooters allowed to operate in D.C. to 10,000 earlier this year – a 67 percent increase from the previous limit of 6,000. The same plan, which was proposed in fall, also cut the number of scooter companies in the District from eight to four – and each company will be capped at 2,500 scooters.

DDOT also approved permits for Jump and the urban transportation company HelBiz to operate dockless electric bicycles in the District next year, making Jump the only company to operate both bikes and scooters in D.C., DCist reported.

The scooters were first introduced to D.C. through a 2017 pilot program. Residents and local leaders have since expressed safety and accessibility concerns, citing scooter collision injuries and devices left in the middle of sidewalks.

Ward 3 D.C. Councilmember Mary Cheh proposed legislation earlier this year that would cap scooter speed limits at 10 miles per hour. She also proposed a bill to raise the speed limit to 15 miles per hour and to decrease speed limits on sidewalks to 6 miles per hour.

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