Spin scooters might leave D.C. amidst legal battle

Washington Post

26-04-2025

A legal fight is heating up between the District and a company that provides e-scooters and bikes in Washington.
Spin, which has over 4,000 bikes and scooters across the District, has been operating in the city since 2019. The District limits the number and type of scooters in the city to avoid crowding sidewalks and streets and D.C.'s vendors are required to apply regularly for permits for the rental bikes and scooters. Those decisions are made by a District evaluation committee that scores the vendors on a 'point-based scoring system' and certain criteria, such as 'equity and affordability,' 'safety,' and 'innovation,' legal documents show.
Despite earning high marks in on previous permit applications, Spin scored third last year, prompting D.C.'s Department of Transportation (DDOT) to award the permit to other companies, including Lime and Veo.
In a lawsuit against DDOT, Spin alleges that the agency gave a European-based competitor, Hopp by Bolt, 'preferential treatment.'
'It is a requirement that agencies stick to their own guidelines,' said Spin's attorney, Michael Klebanov of Husch Blackwell LLP. 'This is really about how DDOT operates and whether their decision making process is being done lawfully.' Spin did not name Hopp by Bolt as one of the parties in its lawsuit.
DDOT initially had a deadline of Friday for removing Spin's bikes and scooters from the District, but it reached an agreement with Spin to allow it to operate for another 30 days while it appeals the process, according to Klebanov.
Companies are required to meet certain deadlines for their applications to operate in the city, including a Nov. 4 deadline for an in-person demonstration to city officials, according to Klebanov. It alleges that Hop was given an extension on the deadline, while Spin and others were forced to adhere to them.
DDOT did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In legal filings, the agency denied Spin's allegations.
In this week's ruling denying Spin's request for a preliminary injunction, U.S. District Judge Jia M. Cobb ruled that 'D.C. statute and regulations give the DDOT discretion to pick new permit holders based on its assessment of each applicant's performance on a set of criteria.' Cobb said that there was no evidence the demonstration was a factor in Spin's failure and that Spin did not ask for an extension.'
The judge went on to write that 'Spin has not met its burden to show that the DDOT failed to apply its published scoring criteria.'
Hopp by Bolt, which is based in Estonia, launched around 720 scooters in D.C. in January. It is the first company in D.C. to offer scooters priced by distance rather than time; its scooters are also equipped with a cognitive test meant to screen out drunk riders.
'Hopp is committed to operating with the highest level of integrity and in full compliance with all regulations in Washington D.C.,' said Daniel Howell, Hopp's regional PR manager for Western Europe and North America.
'We participated in the recent permitting process with transparency and are confident that the District's decisions were made fairly and based on the merits of each application.'