Jump (transportation company)

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Social Bicycles Inc.
JUMP
IndustryShared mobility
Founded2010; 14 years ago (2010)
FounderRyan Rzepecki
Defunct2020; 4 years ago (2020)
FateAcquired by Lime
HeadquartersSan Francisco, California, United States
Areas served
12 US cities, Auckland, Wellington, Berlin, Lisbon, London, Montréal, Munich, Paris, Rome, Melbourne
Services
Parent

Jump (stylized as JUMP) was a dockless scooter and electric bicycle sharing system operating in the United States, New Zealand, Canada, France, Germany, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Mexico and Australia.[1][2] The bikes were a bright red orange and weighed 70 pounds (32 kg).[3] Riders unlocked bikes using the Uber app and were charged to their Uber account.[4]

Each Jump bike had a 250-watt electric motor which powered the front wheel.[5] Jump employees swapped out the battery packs every three days.[6] At the end of a ride, the bikes had to be locked to a sidewalk bicycle rack.[7]

Uber acquired the company in April 2018, and expansion into European markets began in June that year. In May 2020, Lime took over the Jump business as part of an investment deal with Uber.

History

Jump was founded as Social Bicycles, Inc. in 2010, and launched its bikes in 2013. By 2018 it had deployed 15,000 bikes in six countries, with users making over 5 million rides.[8] The company rebranded as Jump in January 2018.[8]

In February 2018, Uber reached a deal to allow riders in San Francisco to access Jump's fleet of e-bikes in the Uber app.[9] Two months later, Uber acquired Jump Bikes for a reported US$200 million.[10] After the acquisition, Jump's CEO announced the company was planning an expansion into Europe, which began in June 2018.[11]

In October 2018, Jump began rolling out its scooter-sharing system in Santa Monica, California in addition to e-bikes.[12] By then, Jump operated 4,000 bicycles across 13 cities.[13]

In December 2018, Jump announced plans to update their bikes with new features including a front computer, improved electric-assist, and a swappable battery starting in January of the following year.[14]

Uber transferred the Jump e-bike and scooter business to Lime in May 2020 as part of an Uber-led round of investment into Lime. In a statement, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said, "Lime has the operational expertise and undivided focus needed to build a scaled, sustainable micromobility business," and cited the move as preparing Uber for recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic had hurt Uber's rides business.[15] After the deal, Uber destroyed thousands of old-model electric bikes and scooters due to maintenance, liability, and safety concerns.[16]

A bright red and green bike in the dark
A Jump bike with a 'JUMP is now Lime' wrap applied

In June 2020, Lime re-launched JUMP bikes in many major US and European cities. This relaunch changed prices to match those of Lime's. In August, Lime officially integrated JUMP bikes into their app. This new integration now allowed for users to book a ride up to 30 minutes in advance, 15 minutes more than what was offered in the Uber app. As of September 2020, JUMP bikes are now available in both Lime and Uber apps.

Areas served

United States

A Jump Bike docked at a public bicycle dock along the National Mall
A Jump Bike in Rome, Italy

The service launched in Washington, D.C. in September 2017.[17] This was followed by a launch in San Francisco during January 2018, becoming the first dockless bike sharing system to launch in the city.[18] In May 2018, Jump launched in Santa Cruz, California with a fleet of 250 electric bicycles.[19] They also launched in Sacramento, California during that month,[20] later adding charging stations for the e-bikes throughout the city.[21] In June 2018, Jump began a six-month pilot program with the City of Chicago, placing its dockless electric bikes in the South Side region for rental.[22] When the six-month period concluded, Jump pulled their bikes from Chicago streets pending legislation from the city. On 2 July 2018, Jump made its Texas debut in Austin.[23] In New York City, Jump e-bikes are available in Central Bronx and the North Shore of Staten Island as part of a dockless bike pilot program by the city which began in July 2018.[24] In August 2018, Jump began operations in Denver.[25]

As of September 2018, Jump has expanded the program to Providence, Rhode Island.[26] However, the service has been suspended indefinitely following issues of theft and vandalism.[27] The company also received permission from the Santa Monica government to roll out 500 e-bikes and 250 e-scooters in the city.[28] In December 2018, Jump started operations in Atlanta and San Diego.[29][30]

Europe

In June 2018, Jump launched its electric bike-sharing system in Berlin, Germany, marking the start of Jump's planned European expansion, under the ownership of Uber.[31] In April 2019 it was launched in Paris, France.[32] In May 2019, the system was launched in London.[4] In November 2019, it was launched in Lisbon, Portugal and Rome, Italy.[33][34] In November, Lime launched JUMP in Rotterdam, Netherlands. This marks the companies entry into the country. In most places in Europe, the Jump bike has been retired in favour of Lime's newer Generation 4 bike.[35]

Canada

In September 2018, Uber announced interest in expanding Jump into the Montreal market, which would make it the first dockless bikeshare in the city.[36]

In June 2019, Jump purchased the operational team contracts of Hamilton BikeShare, marking its first official entrance into the Canadian market. While Hamilton Bike Share's monthly and Pay as you Go members have access to 24/7 Jump team support, the Everyone Rides Initiative (ERI) subsidized low income pass program is still directly run by Hamilton Bike Share staff in the SoBi Hamilton office.[37]

The operation of SoBi Hamilton under Jump/Uber ended on June 1, 2020, citing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.[38]

New Zealand

In June 2019 Jump launched their e-scooter product into the Wellington market, competing with local scooter company Flamingo and dockless bike company Onzo.[39] In January 2020, Jump scooters and e-bikes launched in Auckland.[40] In mid 2020, the Auckland Council reissued operating permits, and Jump scooters and e-bikes were re-launched by Lime in September.[41]

Australia

There are parts of Australia that are serviced by Jump vehicles.[42] Most locations been rebranded with Lime logos (with bike frames saying formerly Jump).

References

  1. ^ McFarland, Matt (17 January 2018). "Electric bicycles emerge as a hot trend in the U.S." CNNMoney. Archived from the original on 18 January 2018. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  2. ^ Lane, Isabelle (8 March 2020). "With Jump, Uber hopes to succeed where other bike-share schemes have failed". Retrieved 12 March 2020.
  3. ^ Pender, Kathleen (27 June 2017). "Electric bike-share rides into SF, jumping ahead of Ford GoBike". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on 9 July 2017. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
  4. ^ a b Heatman, Amelia (23 May 2019). "You can catch an Uber electric JUMP bike in Islington from today". Evening Standard. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
  5. ^ Alim, Teta (21 September 2017). "Electric ride: New powered-up bike share system coming to DC". WTOP-FM. Archived from the original on 24 January 2018. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  6. ^ Heining, Andrew (22 September 2017). "We tried all four of D.C.'s dockless bike-share systems. Here's our review". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 24 January 2018. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  7. ^ Fitzgerald Rodriguez, Joe (9 January 2018). "SF grants first-ever permit for dockless 'e-bike' sharing". The San Francisco Examiner. Archived from the original on 10 January 2018. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
  8. ^ a b Bikes, JUMP (17 January 2018). "We're now JUMP Bikes". Medium. Retrieved 7 June 2019.
  9. ^ Price, Rob (31 January 2018). "Uber is now letting people in San Francisco rent ebikes on its app". Business Insider. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
  10. ^ Seppala, Timothy J. (9 April 2018). "Uber buys San Francisco bike-sharing service Jump". Engadget. Oath Inc. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
  11. ^ McFarland, Matt (9 April 2018). "Uber buys a bikeshare company as it looks beyond cars". CNNMoney. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
  12. ^ "Uber scooters have arrived in Santa Monica". Yahoo News. 4 October 2018. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
  13. ^ Ceres, Pia (8 October 2018). "How Jump Designed a Global Electric Bike". Wired. Retrieved 9 October 2018.
  14. ^ Lekach, Sasha (18 December 2018). "Snazzy new Jump e-bikes hint at Uber's e-scooter future". Mashable. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
  15. ^ Ahumada, Rosalio. "Uber unloads Jump on Lime in $170M investment. Unknown when bikes and scooters will return". The Sacramento Bee. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  16. ^ "20,000 JUMP bikes are dying. - The Bike Share Museum". bikesharemuseum.com. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
  17. ^ Goldchain, Michelle (20 October 2017). "JUMP, D.C.'s electric dockless bike-share, plans to increase inventory in November". Curbed. Archived from the original on 20 October 2017. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
  18. ^ Baldassari, Erin (17 January 2018). "JUMP Bikes to launch dockless, electric bikeshare in San Francisco". The Mercury News. Archived from the original on 17 January 2018. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
  19. ^ York, Jessica A. (10 May 2018). "Santa Cruz celebrates Bike to Work Day with e-bike share launch". Santa Cruz Sentinel. Digital First Media. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
  20. ^ "Are JUMP Bikes worth the rental?". KXTV. 1 June 2018. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
  21. ^ Toll, Micah (28 September 2018). "Uber installing its own electric charging stations… for electric bicycles". Electrek. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
  22. ^ Marotti, Ally (29 June 2018). "Uber's electric, dockless bikes coming to South Side". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
  23. ^ Bien, Calily (2 July 2018). "Uber launches dockless bicycles in Austin". KXAN-TV. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
  24. ^ "Dockless bike pilot program coming to four NYC neighborhoods". NY1. 3 July 2018. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
  25. ^ "Uber Launches 'Jump' Bikes". KCNC-TV. 18 August 2018. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
  26. ^ Rose Dickey, Megan (16 January 2018). "Social Bicycles raises $10 million Series A round, rebrands as Jump Bikes". TechCrunch. Oath Inc. Archived from the original on 16 January 2018. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
  27. ^ Amaral, Brian (20 May 2020). "Watchdog Team: Company behind Jump bikes was stunned by level of vandalism in Providence". MSN. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  28. ^ Clark, Kate (30 August 2018). "Santa Monica will allow Lime, Bird, Lyft and JUMP to operate e-scooters". TechCrunch. Oath Inc. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  29. ^ Haney, Adrianne (19 December 2018). "JUMP e-scooters by Uber rolling out in Atlanta". WXIA-TV. Retrieved 27 December 2018 – via MSN.
  30. ^ "Uber to launch JUMP scooters in San Diego". KFMB-TV. 19 December 2018. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
  31. ^ Connolly, Kate (6 June 2018). "Uber launches electric bike-sharing service in Germany". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
  32. ^ Jonniaux, Amandine (11 April 2019). "Uber lance Jump, son service de vélos et trottinettes électriques dans Paris" [Uber launches Jump, its bike service and electric scooters in Paris]. journaldugeek.com (in French). Retrieved 4 December 2019.
  33. ^ Gil, Filipe (6 November 2019). "Uber coloca 200 trotinetes Jump em Lisboa" [Uber places 200 Jump scooters in Lisbon]. Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). Retrieved 4 December 2019.
  34. ^ Sirna, Lidia (18 November 2019). "Maybe This Time, the Bikes Won't End Up in the River". The New York Times. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  35. ^ "Lime launches Gen4 E-bike with big upgrades for riders & cities". Lime Micromobility. 12 January 2022. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  36. ^ Shankar, Bradly (18 September 2018). "Uber planning to launch bike-sharing service in Vancouver". MobileSyrup. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
  37. ^ Werner, Kevin (3 June 2019). "Hamilton's bike share program gears up for changes, including expansion". Hamilton News. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
  38. ^ "Uber-owned SoBi to stop running popular bicycle ride-sharing service in Hamilton". The Hamilton Spectator. 19 May 2020. ISSN 1189-9417. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
  39. ^ "Riding into Wellington: JUMP scooters offer an affordable, environmentally friendly transport option". Uber Newsroom. 17 June 2019. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
  40. ^ "2020 Auckland Jump scooter launch". 14 January 2020. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
  41. ^ "RNZ Lime's e-scooters back on the streets of Auckland". Radio New Zealand. 4 September 2020.
  42. ^ "Uber to roll out JUMP bikes in Australia". 14 January 2020.