Electric Bike-Sharing Program Expands in San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX) -- A dockless, electric bicycle-sharing system promises a fast, easy and cheap way to get around San Francisco.

"It's really a new mode of transportation and, compared to a pedal bike, it's just a completely different animal," Jump Bikes CEO Ryan Rzepecki told KPIX.

In the two months since Jump Bikes launched, they say more than 20 thousand people have signed up in San Francisco.

The company has also partnered with Uber, which is rolling out the Uber bike option to more users every week. It costs $2 for 30 minutes. An app shows you the closest bike. When you get to it, you enter a four-digit code which unlocks the U-bar and off you go.

So far, there are 250 bikes on the streets. Rzepecki says users are riding for an average of 2 1/2 miles.

"It's been so fun, I tried the Ford GoBikes first and those are fun but the electric motor on these really makes a big difference," Jump user Francois Brahic said.

Users can lock and leave bikes at any bike rack. The city will evaluate the system over the next 16 months and may approve another 250 bikes in September.

Jump Bikes will expand to Santa Cruz, Davis and Sacramento in the next few months and is in talks with cities in the East Bay and the Peninsula.