Uber is planning to add more dockless vehicles to the already 3,000-scooter-strong fleet in San Antonio.
The City of San Antonio confirmed Wednesday that Jump, Uber’s micromobility arm that offers both e-scooters and e-bikes, has applied for a permit to operate in the city. An Uber spokeswoman said a time frame for Jump’s arrival is not yet available.
“We are excited to work with the City of San Antonio to provide affordable, first mile-last mile solutions,” the company said in a statement. “We are looking forward to expanding Jump e-bikes to more Texans and giving people another transportation option to get from point A to point B.”
While San Antonio is not yet home to an e-bike-share program, Bird, Blue Duck, Lime, and Razor comprise the four e-scooter companies currently operating in the city. It costs $500 to apply for a permit and $10 for every vehicle the applicant registers, according to the City’s regulatory pilot program that began in October.
Neither Uber nor the City said whether the rideshare company was planning to introduce its scooters, e-bikes, or both to the San Antonio market.
Jump’s platform is similar to other scooter-share providers. Users can sign on to the app, scan a code on a scooter to unlock, and pay a $1 base fee and 15 cents for every minute of use. A Jump Bikes app is available in the App Store for iOS devices, and the Uber app also allows users to ride a Jump scooter or bike.
Like its scooters, the company’s e-bikes are dockless, GPS-enabled, and motorized.
Uber aligned with local organization Tech Bloc in 2015, when the tech sector advocacy group led a lobbying effort to relax San Antonio’s rideshare laws. Tech Bloc’s CEO David Heard said his organization has been aware of Uber’s plan to bring its dockless, electric vehicles to San Antonio, adding he suspects Uber’s arrival will “enhance” the micromobility options in the city.
“It won’t be more of the same but something new – something that would add an additional option for last-mile travelers,” Heard said.
VIA Metropolitan Transit CEO Jeff Arndt has said the public transit agency is expecting to issue a request for proposals to partner with a micromobility provider, likely a dockless e-bike company. A VIA spokeswoman said the bid will be posted at the end of this week.
Purchased in April by Uber, Jump’s e-bikes are available in cities such as New York, Denver, and Austin. Jump recently began rolling out its e-scooter fleet in Los Angeles and Austin. Jump has 500 bicycles and 1,000 scooters in the Texas capital, according to the City of Austin’s website.
Cool. Seems like Uber may be impressed with what Lime has done being that they are now backed by both Uber and alphabet (google). I read somewhere future lime scooters will be forced to include an Uber logo on them because of the backing. I’m really hoping lime is here to stay in San Antonio and that they expand their fleet north west of downtown. These bikes look cool too and I wonder if all three companies will somehow merge under alphabet. Although a long time away I think the mobility sector of San Antonio’s future is looking bright.
I wonder what that will do to the B-Cycles, docked bikes, that we already have. I would use them they are so expensive and charge enormous fees every time you undock another bike. This is especially true when compared to the price of e-bikes and e-scooters we are seeing now.