Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza today announced the return of rentable electric bicycles to Providence. Spin, the same company that provides scooters, will be filling the gap left when Jump Bike closed up shop in the city nearly two years ago.

---

For a “rise and fall” of Jump bikes in Providence, see:

• 400 electric-assist bikes to be available in Providence in summer 2018
• Providence bike share program open houses this week
• Mike Dumond: Jumped Bikes – Vandals take an Uber ride
• Missak Melkonian: I support The Bike Mob

---

The initial release will be 100 new, electric, deckles bikes scattered at key locations throughout the city. Over the summer that number will balloon as high as 400 e-bikes. This is a pilot program for Spin, a subsidiary of Ford Motor Company. Providence will be the first city to roll-out Spin bikes in the country.

“The return of e-bikes to Providence gives our residents and visitors another safe and sustainable way to get around,” said Mayor Jorge Elorza at the unveiling Monday morning at the Temple to Music in Roger Williams Park. “Having the choice of an e-bike or an e-scooter gives riders the opportunity to pick a vehicle that best fits their journey while simultaneously improving transit efficiency in our city. We would like to thank Spin for their partnership in strengthening the Providence community’s mobility while also bringing jobs to the area.”

The Spin bikes will be accessible on the same app as the Spin scooters. The e-bikes cost only $1 to unlock and $0.29 per minute to ride. Spin also provides discounted fares for those receiving financial assistance through a state or federal program. Spin will be maintaining a ground team in Providence focused on maintaining equitable micromobility distribution to all Providence neighborhoods.

“We applaud the work that Providence is doing to expand transit offerings while creating a more efficient public transit network,” said Ashley Brown, Senior Government Partnerships Manager, United States East. “Spin e-scooters and e-bikes offer options so riders can pick the vehicle that best fits the needs of their journey. We look forward to expanding our e-bike offering to other cities over the course of 2021.”

There are also more than 40 hubs around the city where riders can conveniently park their bikes. Alternatively, riders may also lock their e-bike to a publicly accessible bike rack, street sign, or parking meter, but should avoid locking it to trees, benches, and park signs. Additional information, requirements and safety rules can be found on the city website.

“What better way for our guests to enjoy the sights and sounds of our city, than on one of these brand new e-bikes?,” asked Scott Williams, General Manager of the Graduate Hotel in Downtown Providence.

“It’s been a long time coming and there’s always been so much chatter [about] when are we getting bikes, and to be able to be the first company to relaunch and have bother scooters and bikes available to the public, brings me such great joy,” said Alyssa Gergel, Providence operations Manager for Spin.

“While Jump certainly had a troubled end, the hard facts is that it opened up th city for thousands of people who simply didn’t have access to their own working bicycle or a place to put it,” said Liza Burkin, Organizer of the Providence Streets Coalition. “Over the course of 11 months of Jump’s operation – people in Providence took 300,000 rides, biking a combined almost 580,000 miles, making Providence the highest usage city outside of California.

“People in Providence like to ride bikes.”

Alyssa Gurgle demonstrates some of th new Spin Bike features:

Not everyone was enthused about the return of e-bikes to Providence. Sharon Stone, President of the Jewelry District Neighborhood Association, raised questions about the e-bikes being used where they are in places like the

With the Spin mobile app, users can simply find and unlock Spin e-bikes and e-scooters:

• Download the Spin app on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
• Use the app to find and unlock a bike or scooter near you.
• Park and relock your bike or scooter when you finish your ride.

Additionally, Spin provides options for riders without a smartphone, credit card or both. Riders will just need a mobile phone with the ability to text. For further instructions or to ask questions, please contact Spin Support at 1-888-262-5189, [email protected] or by visiting https://www.spin.app/spin-access.

Here’s a coupon code: