Thousands of residents and visitors use shared bikes and scooters to get around the District and suburban neighborhoods. Most dockless vehicle companies are weathering through the public health crisis and continuing normal operations. In fact, these types of micromobility options have been a go-to for many essential workers during the peak of the pandemic. Riding a bike or scooter allows for safe social distancing and serves as a great transportation option to commute to work or for leisure.
Ready to get your ride back on? Per the World Health Organization (WHO) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines, dockless bike and scooter operators have implemented strict cleaning and disinfectant protocols so you can rent a two-wheel ride with confidence. As the District reopens, many companies have also added new safety practices, including face coverings/masks and social distancing protocols, and offer FREE or discounted access for first responders; healthcare, pharmacy, public transit, restaurant delivery, and retail workers; and income-eligible residents.
See what DC's shared bike and scooter providers are doing to help you commute with care:
Bird
- Bird has implemented new guidelines for frequently deep cleaning and sanitizing. Staff members use CDC-approved disinfectant products to thoroughly sanitize scooters every time they're recharged or serviced. Helmets are also sterilized.
- Regular spot cleanings are performed on high-contact surfaces such as bells, throttles, and handlebars.
- Staff members are supplied with face masks, hand sanitizer, nitrile gloves, protective goggles, and disinfectant sprays and wipes to keep themselves and their work surfaces safe. Staff are required to wash their hands regularly and dispose of gloves after each use.
Capital Bikeshare
- Capital Bikeshare is disinfecting high-contact surfaces each time a bicycle is returned to the company depot. Bikes at docking stations are cleaned with a special focus on high-traffic stations and transport vans are disinfected at the start of each shift.
- Capital Bikeshare requires staff to wear gloves when handling bikes and is helping to secure face coverings for all members.
Helbiz
- Helbiz is sanitizing and cleaning their eBikes multiple times a day and provides additional sanitizing resources upon request.
- Helbiz is offering all emergency personnel and other essential workers FREE access to their eBikes.
Lime
- Lime has enhanced its cleaning methods and increased the frequency of cleaning and disinfecting scooters, cleaning all parts that are touched with CDC-recommended products.
- Lime is distributing hand sanitizer in its offices and warehouses.
- Lime requires all mechanics and operators to undergo extensive training, wear gloves, and wash their hands regularly.
- Lime requires all staff to complete several training courses and has rolled out extensive measures to keep local teams informed of any new safety protocols needed to ensure employee and rider safety.
Lyft
- High-contact surfaces on scooters are frequently disinfected.
- Staff members are required to wear gloves when handling anything at the storage depot or in transport vans. Lyft is also recommending staff wear a cloth face covering and is distributing wherever possible.
Razor
- Razor has adopted mandatory disinfection procedures for field and maintenance staff. All warehouses, machine shops, and maintenance vehicles are equipped with the materials necessary to carry out these procedures.
- All high-touch scooter surfaces are disinfected during all maintenance activities or battery swaps with cleaning products approved by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Revel
- Revel implemented an enhanced disinfection process on all of its mopeds that includes thoroughly cleaning any high-touch areas like the handlebars, brake levers, helmet case, and seat with disinfectant.
- Revel also cleans its helmets with disinfectants, giving special attention to the inside and outside of the helmets, the visor, and the chin strap.
Spin
- Spin has increased the frequency of disinfecting its scooters. Every time a scooter enters the warehouse, the upper mast and handlebars are disinfected in accordance with standard operating procedures.
- All employees are required to wear gloves whenever they are handling scooters.
- All high-traffic surfaces in warehouses and the field are cleaned daily with disinfectant including the truck cab of all vans, tables, countertops, doorknobs, handles, tools, keyboards, and employees’ phones.
To help protect yourself and the community, keep following the proper protocols to commute with care as you ride through the city. For bikes and scooters specifically, goDCgo recommends that you wipe down commonly shared and touched surfaces with disinfectant before riding. Ride solo for social distance, maintaining at least six feet of distance from other riders. We also suggest washing your hands or using at least 70% alcohol-based hand sanitizer before and after every trip. Or, consider wearing gloves as an extra precaution.
