Uber scooters jump into Austin market

As e-scooters and their attendant issues continue to buzz around Austin, car-hailing giant Uber announced Thursday that it will be adding a fleet of its Jump scooters to the mix. The only other U.S. city where Jump scooters are currently on the streets is Santa Monica, California.

Users can integrate the scooters, as well as its dockless Jump e-bikes (already in Austin), into the existing Uber ride-hailing app, which they’ll be able to use to hail a car or find and ride a dockless Jump e-bike or e-scooter.

The announcement does not indicate how many scooters the Uber has put on city streets so far, but it does state that the company is offering free rides for up to 30 minutes (and 15 cents per minute after, maximum five free rides per day) from October 25 through November 11.

The company has also set up its Greenlight Hub (500 Calles Street), where it will distribute free helmets and information on the City’s guidelines and safe practices for scooters. It will also helmets to riders across Austin this week, as supplies last.

The addition of scooters to the Austin market comes soon after news that the country’s two largest scooter companies, Bird and Lime, have been named in a class-action lawsuit in Los Angeles County. The complaint in that suit charges include “gross negligence” and “abetting assault,” Curbed.com reported Monday.

• Bird, Lime named in class-action lawsuit [Curbed]