Skip Takes E-Scooters Off Portland Streets, Blames Rain

The company says it will continue to “be responsive to the weather.”

Skip scooter (courtesy Skip)
By Elise Herron

E-scooter company Skip has pulled its scooters off Portland streets. The company says that's because rain has made road conditions dangerous.

A spokesperson for Skip, Katie Florez, tells WW, "Skip tries to be responsive to weather and conditions. As a consideration to the community, because of the rain, they've pulled their fleet from the streets of Portland."

Florez says there's no immediate plans to re-deploy scooters, and that the company will continue to "be responsive to weather."

Other companies, KOIN first reported, are taking less cautious approaches.

Bird told KOIN that it is working on an updated scooter model—which will "provide a more reliable and stable ride across a variety of ground surfaces"—to deploy in U.S. cities soon.

A spokesperson for Lime, Katherine Mackinnon, tells WW in an email, "Lime hasn't removed scooters in Portland to date because of bad weather."

In inclement weather, Mackinnon says Lime's approach is to educate on safe riding and update products when necessary.

Update, Nov 5: According to Skip spokesperson, Martha Shaughnessy, scooters will be re-deployed tomorrow for the company's "Skip to the Polls" campaign. Shaughnessy adds that weather-permitting, Skip scooters "will be on the streets through the end of the pilot program [Nov. 20]."

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