Skip scooters pulled from San Francisco streets after one catches fire in D.C.

SAN FRANCISCO (KTVU) - After a boom in popularity, one electric scooter provider has pulled their scooters off San Francisco streets until the company can get to the bottom of what caused one to catch fire last week.

Skip pulled their scooters off the street in Washington D.C. after a scooter caught fire last Thursday. As a result, they’ve pulled their San Francisco fleet, while the company works to figure out how the battery in one of their scooters ignited.

The incident was documented on social media. 

Since first arriving on San Francisco streets in 2017, electric scooters have become part of the city's transportation system and are permitted through San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA). 

The company says an investigation is underway: "There is still no reason to believe that this affects any other vehicles in our fleet after days investigating all potential causes of the incident, including foul play. Out of an abundance of caution and until we are able to share our complete investigation with regulators, we will not deploy in San Francisco."

SFMTA says it appreciates the move on the part of Skip to ensure public safety. 

"We certainly understand that this might be an inconvenience to customers," said Paul Rose of the SFMTA. "But, we appreciate that Skip is taking the right steps to put safety first."

For now, the SFMTA says it has no plans to launch its own investigation and there are no restrictions on competitor Scoot from operating in the city.

Scooter riders say the electric powered scooters are great for short rides. 

"It's very convenient, said Scooter Rider Yan Zhao.  "I work in the Mission area. I ride Caltrain. It’s like a 15 minutes of riding. It’s very convenient."

But Zhao says he doesn't bring his own scooter indoors, just in case. "So I store it in my garage. I take Caltrain. So, it's not like I put it in my bedroom."

There is no word on when the investigation will wrap up or when Skip scooters will be available once again in San Francisco.