If it seems like more and more people are riding e-scooters and e-bikes around Sacramento, you’re right. Uber, which operates Jump bikes and e-scooters in Sacramento, ranks Sacramento as the second most popular city in terms of usage of its shared rideables. According to Uber, Paris takes the top spot and Seattle comes in third.

In a less than a year, people riding e-scooters have become a common sight in Sacramento. In 2019, the City created the framework to regulate these shared rideables and ensure public safety. Uber-owned Jump began operating 100 scooters in February 2019. Lime placed 250 scooters in July.

Riders have taken approximately 450,000 scooter trips and 550,000 bike trips in Sacramento since June, according to City of Sacramento Transportation Planning Manager Jennifer Donlon Wyant. Currently, Jump and Lime have a combined 2,170 scooters in use in Sacramento, and there are more on the way. Spin began operating its scooters in January and Bird will follow later this month. By March, there will be roughly 3,000 scooters and 1,000 bikes in operation within city limits.

Donlon Wyant said the City encourages the use of shared rideables for three reasons. First, any time someone uses a shared rideable instead of a car, they’re likely cutting down on C02 emissions.

“The City of Sacramento is committed to doing its part to combat climate change,” Donlon Wyant said. “We believe that by making e-bikes and e-scooters easily accessible, more people will choose to leave their cars in the garage.”

Fewer cars on the streets also means less wear and tear on the city’s roadways, and therefore fewer tax-payer dollars needed to go toward road work. Lastly, fewer cars on the streets also can mean less traffic congestion and fewer crashes. Shared rideables play a part of the City’s Vision Zero program, which came out of a 2017 City Council resolution to “work collaboratively in a data-driven effort to eliminate traffic fatalities and serious injuries by 2027.”

Safety remains a top priority for the City as shared rideables usage continues to grow. “Unlike some cities, Sacramento requires shared-rideable operators to provide education to their members,” Donlon Wyant said. In addition, the City’s Parking Enforcement Team has issued more than 1,400 parking and warning citations for bikes and scooters blocking sidewalks and curb ramps.

The City also offers a free urban biking and scooting class every month and encourages everyone to take it. “We want our residents be smart and safe and have fun when they are out there scooting or pedaling on our streets,” Donlon Wyant said.