What if dockless scooters weren't so dockless? We're about to find out.
E-scooter company Spin has launched “Spin Hubs” across D.C. and Northern Virginia, becoming the region's first to provide docking stations for collecting and charging the two-wheelers.
The startup held a ribbon-cutting ceremony at a Wingate Properties building in Southwest D.C. last week to mark the official launch.
The docking stations will be placed on private properties, including commercial and residential buildings, where owners agree to host them. Spin users can locate them on the Spin app for scooter pickups and drop-offs.
At the hub, a user plugs a cord into the scooter, which will then show green and red lights to indicate the battery charge.
The company says it's looking to solve two issues: charging e-scooter batteries without removing them from streets, and keeping parked e-scooters orderly and off sidewalks.
D.C. is one of the first two cities where Spin is piloting the hubs, along with Tampa Bay. It has about 1,000 total scooters operating in D.C., Arlington and Alexandria, with plans to launch soon in Fairfax County.
One of the first Spin Hub partners in the area is real estate firm Gould Properties, which will allow the docking stations at some of its properties. Charles Lancaster, head of Gould's innovation division, told The Washington Post that he views the docking stations as an amenity for tenants and an opportunity to make sidewalks safer.
The stations will initially run on replaceable batteries, according to the Post, but Spin plans to transition this fall to a solar-powered system. Only Spin scooters will be compatible with them.
The startup is one of eight companies allowed to operate dockless scooters locally by the District Department of Transportation, joined by Bird, Bolt, Jump, Lime, Lyft, Razor and Skip.
