| Thousands of Jump bikes scrapped, report says |
Tens of thousands of electric Jump bikes appear to be getting kicked to the curb, just weeks after a scooter company shake-up.
In a report Friday, the Bike Share Museum — a digital archive of bike models that have been retired by micromobility companies — shared images of hundreds of discarded red Jump bikes in Seattle.
The news came two weeks after scooter company Lime announced that it had secured a $170 million investment round, led by ride-hailing giant Uber. As part of the deal, Lime will acquire Uber’s Jump bike-rental business. Uber acquired Jump in 2018, but the venture struggled to be profitable.
The Bike Share Museum has since updated its post, saying that at least 20,000 Jump bikes were being scrapped. An employee at one North Carolina recycling facility reports receiving several trailers full of the bikes, and some accounts say electronic and battery components were removed from the Jump bikes before they were sent for recycling.
According to The Verge, Uber confirmed in a statement that it is “recycling” many of its older Jump bikes and scooters after transferring thousands of the newer models to Lime.
“As part of the Jump acquisition, we took possession of tens of thousands of e-bikes — including the spare parts and tools to fix them — and have already begun to deploy them,” a Lime spokesman told Automotive News in a statement.
“We have not recycled any of the Jump e-bikes in our fleet and are committed to scaling and operating them during this critical time. Once the transaction officially closes, we plan to work with Uber to find sustainable ways to donate and reuse any remaining e-bikes in their inventory.”
Meanwhile, Lime said in a blog post Friday that it will relaunch some Jump-brand bikes in Denver.
“As we relaunch Jump bikes in more cities around the world over the coming weeks and months, we do so with the deep understanding of their value during these challenging times,” Lime said. “Not only does introducing Jump to our riders increase our reliability, it also means we can continue working with cities to reduce traffic congestion, improve air quality, promote affordable transportation options, and support last-mile access to public transportation.”
Though the shared service model of scooter companies has lost some of its appeal while cities try to stop the spread of the coronavirus and users voice concerns over cleanliness, micromobility solutions may prove to have a faster comeback than other shared forms of transportation, such as subways and other public transit options.
— Alexa St. John
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