Sacramento's electric bike and scooter programs were some of the most successful in the nation until they became a casualty of the coronavirus pandemic.

Earlier this year, Sacramento was leading the nation for bike share use and second only to Paris for global use. But then the pandemic hit and Sacramento's bike share program came screeching to a halt.

Most companies had already pulled their scooters and bikes off the road by the time the City officially hit the brakes on the program in April 2020. 

Spin Delivering 250 E-Scooters to Sacramento

On June 22, Sacramento officially allowed e-commuting companies to come back, paving the way for Spin to deliver 250 e-scooters.

To comply with city regulations, Spin employees are sanitizing and disinfecting its scooters twice a day. Maintenance workers are required to wear personal protective equipment, including gloves, safety glasses, and masks.

While Spin scooters are returning to the streets of Sacramento, they won't be joined by the red JUMP bikes that kicked off the bike share craze in the City.

Uber is getting out of the electric bike/ scooter game and announced it would be turning its business over to competitor, Lime.

A Lime spokesman said his company is in talks with the city of Sacramento about updating its permits to bring electric-motor assist bicycles and electric scooters back to local streets, reported The Sacramento Bee. That includes fees Lime must pay the City, and limitations on how many bikes and scooters can be introduced to city streets, as well as bike and scooter parking arrangements.

"Lime is committed to providing safe and affordable bike and scooter solutions for the communities we serve," the company said in an email to The Bee on Thursday.

"As part of the Jump acquisition, we took possession of tens of thousands of e-bikes -- including the spare parts and tools to fix them -- and have already begun to deploy them.

"We have not recycled any of the Jump e-bikes in our fleet and are committed to scaling and operating them during this critical time. Once the transaction officially closes, we plan to work with Uber to find sustainable ways to donate and re-use any remaining ebikes in their inventory."

While the electric bikes and scooters may have a new look as they slowly return to the streets of Sacramento, they're sure to have a welcoming user group eager to see them return. Sacramento once led the nation in bike share use, and time will tell if the City regains that status once again.