Uber will pull its fleet of Jump bicycles and electric scooters from San Diego city streets starting Sept. 19, the company announced Thursday.
The company will, however, continue to operate on Naval Base San Diego and Naval Base Point Loma. Uber says city regulations made it too difficult to operate in San Diego.
“We agree with local elected officials in San Diego who’ve said current micromobility regulations foster an unsustainable operating environment, which is why we’re ending our operations as of today,” Uber spokesman Nick Smith said. “We look forward to working with the city to develop more sensible regulations.”
Uber notified the city on Monday and notified its users on Thursday about the change.
San Diego passed a slew of regulations for dockless bike and scooter companies in April, including speed and parking restrictions in certain areas as well as permitting fees and data-sharing requirements.
In July, San Diego City Councilwoman Barbara Bry called for a temporary ban on dockless scooters. She said the scooters are safety hazards and the city's current regulations are too loose.
Christina Chadwick, a spokeswoman for the mayor, said the rules imposed by the city were put in place for public safety and to protect San Diego’s quality of life.
“We appreciate scooter operators who take these regulations seriously and who have made compliance a priority,” Chadwick said.
Since dockless bikes and scooters started operating in the city more than a year ago, residents have complained about them clogging sidewalks. Several people have been injured or killed while using scooters.
Meantime, competitor Lime Bikes is battling the city to continue operating in San Diego. In August, San Diego threatened to boot Lime out for allegedly violating the speed limit rule in designated areas.
Officials for Lime said the company has since resolved the issue. Lime can continue to operate in the city pending a hearing.
Uber says it hopes to return to San Diego in the future.
