There are now two dockless electric bike companies operating in the District with the addition of e-bikes from New York-based Helbiz.
Last month, the District Department of Transportation granted Helbiz a permit to operate in 2020. It joins Jump, which continues to operate both e-bikes and electric scooters in the District.
Although Helbiz, founded in 2017, calls New York its headquarters, its bikes and scooters are found mostly in Europe. It has a scooter presence in Miami.
D.C. is the first e-bike market for Helbiz. It expects to expand in the U.S. market to San Jose, Sacramento and Atlanta.
Helbiz said it will have a fleet of 2,000 e-bikes deployed across the District in the first half of 2020.
In December, DDOT also approved permits for four e-scooter companies for 2020, boosting the number of scooters on the streets to as many as 10,000.
Implementation of new guidelines for 2020 permit holders is on hold while several e-scooter companies who applied and weren’t selected appeal.
