E-Scooter Company Skip Fined For Breaking City Rules Requiring Service in East Portland

The company faces a $9,000 fine for failing to serve East Portland.

Skip scooter (courtesy Skip)

It's been a rough couple of months for e-scooter company Skip.

The company, one of three currently operating electric scooters under a provisional city pilot program license, was just fined $9,000 by Portland Bureau of Transportation for failing to deploy scooters to East Portland.

The company also failed to make at least 90 percent of the scooters it has permits for—683—accessible to customers. Both are rules of operation that the company agreed to before entering Portland's market.

"We will hold e-scooter companies accountable for service in East Portland," Commissioner Chloe Eudaly said in a statement today. "E-scooter companies must show us that they can follow the rules set out by our program. It is unfair to Portlanders in East Portland for companies to fall short of reasonable public access requirements."

According to PBOT's statement, Skip is being penalized $300 per day for each of the two violations, which occurred between Oct. 17 and Oct. 31.

Earlier this month, WW reported that Skip had been taking some of its scooters off the street during rainy weather.

Related: Skip Takes E-Scooters Off Portland Streets, Blames Rain

Also last month, a Portland Uber driver filed a complaint against the company, seeking compensation for damages to his Subaru after two scofflaw Skip scooter riders ran a red light and crashed into his car.

Related: A Portland Uber Driver is Pursuing E-Scooter Company Skip After Scofflaw Riders Hit His Car and Fled

Katie Florez, a spokesperson for Skip says, "We are enjoying participating in the PBOT e-scooter pilot, and value the opportunity to learn together as we work to make scooters a reliable part of everyday life in Portland."

She continues, "We regret that a hiccup in our operations led to a dip in the number of scooters we had available to serve all of our riders. The service disruption impacted all areas, including East Portland. We look forward to working with PBOT and the City of Portland to develop a long-term program that facilitates scooters as a reliable, permanent alternative to cars."

The city's pilot program ends Tuesday, Nov. 20, at which time all scooters will be taken offline.

"In early 2019," today's statement notes, "PBOT will share findings and data from the pilot program, and seek public input on next steps for e-scooter service in Portland."

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