Loudoun Kicks Off Dockless E-Scooter, Bike Pilot Program

LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA — Loudoun County kicked off a pilot program Jan. 1 to evaluate the use of dockless electric scooters, bicycles and skateboards in the eastern part of the county. The pilot program limits the number of the dockless devices, known as shared mobility devices (SMDs), to a maximum of 1,000 and restricts their operation to an area within about three miles of the Ashburn, Loudoun Gateway and Dulles International Airport Silver Line Metro rail stations, which are still under construction.

The pilot program comes after the Virginia General Assembly passed legislation in March 2019 giving local governments the authority to regulate vendors of dockless motorized scooters and skateboards. County staff members plan to oversee the program for at least six months after Loudoun County's new Metrorail stations open on the Silver Line. The Metro stations are expected to open by the middle of the year.

The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors approved the SMD pilot program on Dec. 3. The county's Department of Transportation and Capital Infrastructure (DTCI) will gather information before possibly recommending a new local ordinance to the Board of Supervisors to govern the devices and expand the program countywide.

Loudoun County is currently seeking SMD operators to provide shared mobility devices for hire during the pilot program. Interested operators are required to sign an agreement with the county and obtain a permit for their fleets, including paying a one-time fee for each device type. Permit applications will be accepted until the 1,000 device limit has been reached.

Operators may license up to 250 devices at a time for a fee of $8,000. They can file separate applications for different types of devices, such as motorized skateboards, e-scooters and bikes but can hold a maximum of two permits.

Members of the public will be able to rent the devices once the first authorized SMD operator successfully completes the permit application process. Authorized operators and their contact information will be listed on the Loudoun County government's website.