The bikes are back

Monica Nickelsburg reports that the Jump bikes, now acquired by Lime but, confusingly, still painted red and using the Jump Uber app, are back on the streets this week.

The Lime brand has largely pivoted to scooters worldwide, but here in Seattle they're still waiting for the City to figure out how scooter permits will work. Hopefully we will see scooters in the next couple of months", said Jonathan Hopkins, Director of Strategic Development at Lime.

The initial deployment of 500 bikes, all electric, will cost $1 plus 36 cents per minute to rent. This is quite a bit more than Lime's rate last summer of 25 cents per mile minute. But then again, transit alternatives have deteriorated a bit, in both frequency and perceived safety. For comparison, a typical UberX fare might be $2.20 plus $1.60 per mile, which may be a wash depending on how fast you ride, and how much you mind being in a car with a stranger.

I don't know how this will play out. I thought that the killer app for these bikes was the last mile to and from transit services, but that's less compelling now for several reasons. Are there enough people moving around our denser areas in situations where a personal bike, car, or taxi service aren't more economical, convenient, and hygenic?