Today, we have two pieces of news to share: we’re pivoting to a new project, and our scooter sharing operations will continue with a new partner.
First, we’re excited to begin building something new outside of shared scooters. Our new project applies engineering work from our past few years to a new light electric vehicle. We’re still a standalone company working on our original mission to make cities car-free, and we’re looking forward to sharing more details soon.
Second, we’re spinning out our scooter sharing operations in Washington DC to our friends at Helbiz, the leading shared micromobility operator in Italy. Today, Helbiz already operates electric bikes and scooters in US cities like Miami, Atlanta, and Washington DC, and we’re excited to partner with them as they expand further in the US and globally.
Everyone on Skip’s fantastic operations team will continue running our fleet under the Skip name and app in Washington DC. We were honored in 2018 when DC’s Department of Transportation (DDOT) trusted Skip to launch the first permitted scooter sharing fleet in the United States. Today, we operate the largest fleet in Washington DC thanks to long-term collaboration with city stakeholders to meet goals around transport equity and accessibility. Pending approval from DDOT, we will continue our work to be the safest, most reliable, and most sustainable fleet in the District and to bring our unique approach to other cities.
Today, every city expects micromobility operators to launch with permission, invest in their workforce, communicate with honesty and transparency, and put the safety of users first. I am happy that our industry is changing to embrace this new standard and proud of our team’s role in leading the charge. I’m also grateful for the people at city agencies like DDOT, who often go unnoticed and unappreciated, whose support is crucial in making new ideas like shared micromobility successful. Today’s micromobility program in DC is a model for cities everywhere that operator responsibility and successful program growth are not mutually exclusive. I look forward to our team building on this work. As more cities welcome new transportation options, we will do our best to continue demonstrating that micromobility companies should operate safely, sustainably, and in the public interest.
Sanjay
