Uber’s electric Jump scooters come to D.C.

The District’s micromobility options are expanding today with the introduction of electric scooters from Jump, the Uber-owned operator that already offers electric bikes in the city. Jump will roll out more than 500 dockless scooters across D.C. over the next several days.

In a statement, Loic Amado, Uber’s East Coast General Manager of Scooters, says the firm wants to provide “a wide variety of transportation options, from scooters to rideshare and beyond, requested right from the Uber app.” Free helmets via D.C.-based nonprofit Gearin’ Up Bicycles are available until May 7, according to a release. The scooters are free to unlock (people can reserve them in advance through the Uber app) and cost $0.15 a minute to ride.

Jump has provided electric bikes in D.C. since September 2017, when the District launched a pilot program for the dockless electric scooters and electric bikes that have recently become popular across much of the city. Uber acquired the brand in May 2018, reportedly for about $200 million. Its scooters are available in 10 cities, notes the release, including Los Angeles, Atlanta, Dallas, Miami, and Austin, while its pedal-assist bikes are available in a dozen cities.

Current D.C. regulations limit operators to 600 electric scooters and 600 electric bikes per permit to start, and with a rush of permit applicants at the beginning of this year, the city is set to see potentially thousands of dockeless vehicles deployed on its streets by 2019’s end. (The regulations—which have been criticized—allow for modest fleet growth every quarter.)

Jump is also bringing its electric scooters to Baltimore this week, reports the Baltimore Sun. Starting last October, Uber competitor Lyft deployed its own electric scooters in the District. Now, half a dozen scooter operators will be in the city, per D.C.’s transportation department.