JUMP Bikes and motorized scooters receive dozens of 3-1-1 complaints

By: Ellie Romano

Email: ERomano@ABC6.com

Twitter: @ERomanoABC6

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) – Friday marks one year since JUMP Bikes were introduced in Providence.

However, on the anniversary, the bikes are nowhere to be found. They were temporarily removed from the streets last month.

Now, we’re learning more about what led up to the city’s decision to pull the bikes. 

The bikes received dozens of lousy reviews through the city’s 3-1-1 service.

Residents can either call 3-1-1 or go online to report a problem around the city. There’s a whole section on the page dedicated to “JUMP Bike & scooter issues.”

Some of the 3-1-1 submissions state JUMP Bikes and Lime/Bird scooters were thrown in the river.

There were also reports of broken bikes and scooters being left in the same place for weeks. 

In response, JUMP Bike’s press office released a statement addressing the issue.

“One complaint is one too many,” said JUMP’s spokesperson Harry Hartfield. “Over the course of a year Providence residents took hundreds of thousands of trips on JUMP bikes while calling 3-1-1 less than 50 times with issues related to our bikes.”

However, according to the mayor’s office, there were more than 50 submissions involving JUMP Bikes.

There have been at least 65 to date. 

“I think there’s always growing pains,” said bicyclist Molly Henry.

Henry hopes JUMP can resolve its problems so the bikes can come back soon.

“It was great to see more activity out on the streets,” said Henry. “I really feel like it livened up the streets.”

The spokesperson for JUMP said the company looks forward to working with the city to bring the bikes back in the fall.

The city’s motorized scooters run by Lime and Bird have also been getting 3-1-1 complaints, but they are still in service. 

The mayor’s office said it is working with the scooter companies to solve those issues.

According to the mayor’s press secretary Victor Morente, the issues surrounding scooters are not severe enough to pull them from the streets. 

WLNE-TV / ABC6 2019