Atlanta

Uber's electric bikes leaving Atlanta, scooters to stay

Uber's Jump Bikes are parked in downtown Austin on Thursday, June 28, 2018.

ATLANTA — Nine months after their launch, Uber's electric bikes, JUMP e-bikes, are leaving Atlanta on Friday, an Uber spokeswoman with the company confirmed in an email.

“We are winding down our current JUMP e-bike operations in Atlanta,” the spokeswoman said. “We will continue to offer JUMP scooters and look forward to continuing conversations with city leaders on how we can work together to expand transportation options.”

The company has not said why they are ending their operations here, but confirmed the the decision is not nationwide. JUMP and Lime scooters will still be available through the Uber app.

The decision comes amid discussions about Atlanta’s regulation of dockless shareable devices, more specifically electric scooters.

Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms enforced a nighttime ban this summer following two scooter-related deaths. The ban prohibits users from riding after 9 p.m.

Metro Atlanta has had four confirmed scooter-related deaths this year.

Under city law, users must rider scooters in the street — alongside cars — and abide by a 15 mph speed limit. At a town hall last month, advocacy groups called for lower speed limits to accommodate bicyclists, pedestrian and scooter riders and to lessen the number of traffic fatalities in the city.

Scooters first launched in Atlanta last summer. Atlanta City Council passed scooter regulations in January.