Built in-house, proven on DC streets: The technology behind 1.8 million Hopp rides

Washington, DC, has a complex transportation network. Busy streets, protected bike lanes, pedestrian areas, and neighborhoods with different mobility needs all present challenges for shared scooters.

Meeting those challenges takes technology that can adapt to the city, respond to local requirements, and deliver measurable results. That's the approach Hopp has taken since launching in the District in January 2025.

We design our own scooters and software using our HoppSense Technology, giving us the flexibility to develop solutions for specific urban challenges. And with more than 1.8 million scooter rides completed across Washington, DC, we have the data to assess how those solutions perform.

1. Using HoppSense Technology to reduce sidewalk riding

Keeping sidewalks accessible is a priority for Washington, DC, particularly in busy areas where pedestrians and scooter riders share limited space. Every Hopp scooter in the District is equipped with our HoppSense technology, which uses an onboard camera to distinguish between sidewalks, roads, and bike lanes in real time.

With a detection accuracy of over 88%, the technology identifies when a scooter is riding a sidewalk and automatically reduces its speed while providing an audible alert. 100% of Hopp scooters in DC are equipped with sidewalk detection technology.

The results:

In April 2026, a 28-day before-and-after comparison in the CBD showed that: Speed limiting reduced sidewalk riding by 13% where bike infrastructure was present.

• Adding audio warnings reduced sidewalk riding by a further 4%. The technology also helps us understand where infrastructure could be improved.
• By converting anonymized sidewalk detection data into heatmaps, we can share insights with the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) about locations where riders frequently move onto sidewalks.

This gives the city another source of information to help identify potential gaps in its cycling infrastructure.

2. Building safety checks into the riding experience

Technology can also help address safety risks before a ride begins.

Hopp has developed several features designed to support responsible scooter use, including age verification, reaction testing, and a riding behavior scoring system.

Verifying rider age

Hopp riders must be at least 18 years old.

Our in-house age verification system, Veritas, uses a live selfie check before a rider's first unlock. If the rider is presumed to be under or near underage, we require additional document verification to be verified by a trained agent.

To date, more than 73,000 riders in Washington, DC, have undergone age-verification checks.

Between June and August 2026, Veritas processed approximately 200,000 checks, while the monthly rejection rate decreased from 22% to 0.3%.

Identifying potentially impaired riding

Hopp also uses a randomized reaction test during overnight hours to identify potential impairment before a ride begins.

Since launch, the system has:

• Screened 58,755 rides in Washington, DC.
• Blocked 17,166 ride attempts where potential impairment was identified.

Although a reaction test cannot establish whether someone is impaired, it provides an additional precaution during higher-risk periods.

Encouraging responsible riding

Our Good Riding Score feature provides riders with feedback on their riding behavior and applies escalating safety measures when relevant platform rules are breached.

Following its introduction, first-stage warnings in Washington, DC decreased by 86%, from 226 in July 2025 to 31 in August 2025.

These results show how technology can support safer riding habits alongside local regulations and infrastructure.

3. Making scooter parking more predictable

Poorly parked scooters can obstruct sidewalks, access ramps, and other spaces used by pedestrians, particularly people with disabilities.

That's why we've developed technology that helps riders identify suitable parking locations and checks where scooters are left.

Our ParkAssist+ feature uses onboard camera technology to recognize bike racks and designated parking hubs. Automated ride-end photo checks provide an additional way to assess parking compliance.

Since the introduction of ParkAssist+, bike-rack parking has increased by nearly 15%.

We've also developed tactile-surface detection technology to prevent rides from being ended on tactile paving and curb cuts, helping keep these areas accessible to blind and low-vision pedestrians and wheelchair users.

Feedback from the Multimodal Accessibility Advisory Council (MAAC DC) helped shape this feature.

Alongside these tools, Hopp currently maintains 3,642 active geofences across Washington, DC, covering restricted riding areas, reduced-speed zones, and parking restrictions.

Our systems can implement urgent geofence updates within 30 minutes and other updates within two hours. To date, 100% of updates have met the agreed service-level timeframes.

Together, these measures have contributed to 99% of Hopp rides ending within their intended parking zones.

4. Designing scooters for reliability

A shared scooter service depends on vehicles being available, maintained, and ready to ride.

Hopp designs its scooters in-house, including the hardware and software used to assess vehicle condition.

The Hopp 6, which makes up our standard scooter fleet in Washington, DC, uses an Advanced Mobility Intelligence System that processes more than 100 sensor inputs per second.

It also performs a complete self-diagnostic check every four hours, helping identify potential technical issues.

Its battery is housed in a sealed IP68-rated compartment beneath the floorboard, with access controlled through an encrypted command from our fleet application.

This approach supports both vehicle reliability and maintenance efficiency.

Since launching in Washington, DC, Hopp has recorded:

• 13,246 completed repairs.
• 99.997% of rides ended without a recorded incident.
• 49 recorded incidents, none attributed to vehicle or hardware faults.

Our standard scooter fleet has also grown from 720 vehicles at launch to 2,290, supporting access to shared mobility across more of the District.

5. Making shared mobility accessible to more residents

Shared mobility should offer practical options for people with different needs, preferences, and circumstances.

That's why Hopp's approach to accessibility extends beyond the design of our standard scooters.

In January 2026, DDOT approved the introduction of our seated scooter, offering an alternative for riders who prefer or need a seated riding position.

There are now 300 seated Hopp scooters in Washington, DC. We've also introduced options that make the service accessible to residents who may face barriers to using conventional app-based services.

These include:

• Text-message unlocking and locking, allowing riders to use Hopp without a smartphone.
• Cash payment options at our DC warehouse.
• Distance-based pricing, meaning the cost of a ride depends on the distance traveled rather than the time taken.
• Hopp-for-All, a program offering eligible low-income residents a monthly pass without unlock fees.

Hopp-for-All currently has 1,048 members in Washington, DC.

These options help make shared scooters available to a wider range of residents, while recognizing that accessibility requires different solutions for different people.

6. Sharing data to support better city decisions

For shared mobility to serve a city effectively, operators and public authorities need access to reliable information.

Hopp provides DDOT with a public General Bikeshare Feed Specification (GBFS) and a real-time Mobility Data Specification (MDS) feed.

These provide information that supports oversight of scooter availability, operations, and compliance with local requirements.

Since launching in the District, our MDS feed has consistently met DDOT's five-minute reporting requirement.

We also provide monthly operational reports covering ride activity, safety incidents, complaints, and compliance-related information.

Beyond regulatory reporting, insights from features such as sidewalk detection can help inform conversations about street design and infrastructure.

For us, sharing data isn't simply about meeting reporting requirements. It's part of building a service that can respond to the city's changing needs.

What 1.8 million rides tell us

Since January 2025, Hopp has grown its presence in Washington, DC, while introducing technology designed to address some of the city's most important micromobility challenges.

The results provide a measurable picture of that progress:

• 1.85 million+ rides completed across the District.
• 2.24 million+ miles traveled by Hopp riders.
• 99.997% of rides ended without a recorded incident.
• 13% reduction in CBD sidewalk riding following the introduction of speed limiting, with a further 4% reduction after audio alerts were added.
• 99% of rides end within their intended parking zones.

These figures don't mean every challenge has been solved. They show where technology is making a measurable difference, and where continued improvements can help.

Our approach is to design technology in-house, assess its performance on the street, and use the findings to improve the riding experience. Washington, DC, has provided an opportunity to put that approach into practice.

As the District continues developing its micromobility network, we'll keep refining our technology, sharing operational insights, and collaborating with city and community partners to support a more accessible and reliable shared mobility system.