When Uber handed Jump, its scooter- and bike-sharing division, over to Lime, it sent thousands of Jump e-bikes in the US to the scrapheap to be recycled. In Europe, thousands of the bikes were pulled from city streets. Now, under Lime’s direction, some Jump bikes are returning to London.
To start, about 100 Jump bikes will be available in Camden and Islington, TechCrunch reports. The fleet size will grow based on demand, and the Jump bikes will be added to the Lime app at a later date. They’ll cost £1 unlock and 15p per minute.
According to TechCrunch, Lime plans to restore Jump’s bike sharing service in Barcelona, Paris and Rome, too. That’s less than half the European cities Jump bikes were previously available in. London could also see Lime e-scooters. Earlier this week, the UK approved an e-scooter pilot program, and if the scooters are approved, Lime will likely vie for a spot.
With lockdown restrictions easing in some parts of the world, Lime says its e-bike rental service has seen record use. Users are reportedly taking longer and more frequent trips, and in London alone Lime’s e-bike network has completed over 1.5 million journeys. Demand may continue to grow as people look to avoid public transportation due to the pandemic.