Scooter Company Banned In DC After Fire In Their Office: Report

WASHINGTON, DC -- The D.C. Department of Transportation has suspended the permit for scooter company Skip for at least 30 days after a battery fire in their D.C. office, according to multiple reports.

NBC 4's Charlie Bragale tweeted that the suspension was based on "confirmed reports of a battery fire in the company's NW DC office," and the suspension requires that all Skip-branded vehicles be removed from public spaces.

A Skip scooter was photographed burning on a D.C. sidewalk at 14th and I streets NW a few weeks ago.

The Washington Post reported then that authorities were investigating the issue to see if fire incidents involving the scooters are something they should be concerned about. It's not clear what caused that fire: heat is a possibility, as is abuse of the scooter itself resulting in damage to the battery.

This week, the Post reported that there were two other previously undisclosed fires. DDOT officials notified Skip on Wednesday that they would need to remove their scooters from city streets immediately.

Skip's permit allows it to have 720 scooters deployed throughout the District, although that doesn't mean that's how many are currently in service, the Post reported.

Skip is one of multiple scooter companies that operate in the D.C. area. DDOT says that there are six private dockless companies currently operating in the District: one bicycle company (Jump) that also operates scooters, and five other electric scooter companies (Bird, Lime, Lyft, Skip, and Spin).

A scooter on fire in the District. pic.twitter.com/UUZZ2Fo8mP
— Teddy Amenabar (@TeddyAmen) May 30, 2019

#BREAKING Hey DC Scooter riders: @DDOTDC suspended Skip’s permit for at least 30 days based on confirmed reports of a battery fire in the company’s NW DC office. The suspension requires that all Skip branded vehicles are removed from the public space in the next 24 hours.
— Charlie Bragale (@charlienbc) June 19, 2019