JUMP Bikes have arrived — bright red and basket-equipped, with electric-assist motors — available for rent via mobile app. The Uber-owned company expanded to the city of Davis and UC Davis last week with 60 bikes, as part of a Sacramento-area launch that also includes bikes in Sacramento and West Sacramento.
HOW IT WORKS
- Download the JUMP Bikes app on iOS or Android.
- Create an account and find an available bicycle on the map.
- You can reserve a bicycle before you're ready to start riding, but that time is charged at the same rate as riding.
- Enter your PIN on the bike's keypad and unlock the built-in U-lock.
- When you're done riding, lock the bike to a bike rack inside the JUMP service area or you could face a fine.
“Bike share will definitely work on campus because everybody wants to be on a bike, but not everybody wants to have to maintain a bike,” said Ramon Zavala, transportation demand and marketing coordinator with Transportation Services.
Plus, the built-in electric assist means riders don’t need to pedal very hard to go fast (Transportation Services reminds riders the speed limit on campus is 15 miles per hour).
The bikes will take up rack space on campus, but Zavala and others at Transportation Services are hopeful the availability of JUMP Bikes will also free up rack space — when people elect to rent JUMP Bikes instead of buying old bikes, using them until they become inoperable and then abandoning them.
Aaron Curtin, Bicycle Program coordinator for Transportation Services, said: “With people riding better bikes, we’re hoping there will be fewer abandoned bikes to impound, freeing up more bike parking.”
Interested? Start by downloading the JUMP Bikes app for iOS or Android — that’s how you’ll set up your account, find and reserve bikes, even track your ride (miles, duration, route).
UC Davis affiliates — students, faculty and staff — will soon be able to sign up at a special rate of $30 for their first year of membership, which includes an hour of riding each day (additional time is charged at the JUMP Bikes standard of 7 cents per minute). Fees for the general public are $1 for a 15-minute trip (and 7 cents a minute after that) or $30 for a monthly pass that includes an hour of riding each day. See the Transportation Services website for more information.
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The bikes are “dockless,” which means they don’t need to be returned to any specific location. Each bike comes with a lock — use it to secure the bike to a rack or other lawful bike parking place within the JUMP service area. Riders who leave bicycles outside the service area or lock them improperly may have fines of $25 or more charged to their accounts, JUMP says on its website.
JUMP takes care of charging the bikes (digital technology keeps the company apprised of bikes that need charging, and where they are).
JUMP unveiled its initial fleet last week with a ride from the Davis Amtrak station across the Causeway to Raley Field in West Sacramento. The company plans have 180 bicycles between Davis and UC Davis by the end of this summer.
For now, Zavala thinks demand could outpace supply. If you’re unable to find a bike, send him an email so he can lobby for more.
A list of frequently asked questions is available on the Transportation Services website.
