Ten companies participated in Chicago’s scooter pilot last year, but mergers, consolidations, layoffs and slowed investment have shaken the industry. COVID might thin the herd further. Here’s where some of the players from last year’s pilot stand today.
BIRD | |
Raised $350 million between October and January, and acquired rivals Scoot and Circ, but laid off about 30 percent of its workforce in March. | |
JUMP/LIME | |
Jump, a subsidiary of Uber, was offloaded to Lime, which raised $170 million in May. Lime’s valuation has since dropped to $510 million, a 79 percent plunge. Just before the deal, Lime laid off about 13 percent of its workforce. | |
LYFT | |
Lyft laid off close to 1,000 workers in April and opted not to participate in the pilot this go-round, saying it wanted to focus on the expansion of Divvy, its bike program. | |
SPIN | |
Bought by Ford in November 2018 for $100 million, it has grown from just 24 employees to hundreds, and from seven to 70 markets in a year. | |
WHEELS | |
After laying off 6 percent of workers in February, Wheels, one of a few that have a bike/scooter hybrid with a seat, relaunched service in cities like L.A. and Dallas in June. It’s added baskets and self-cleaning surfaces on its handlebar grips. |
BIRD | Raised $350 million between October and January, and acquired rivals Scoot and Circ, but laid off about 30 percent of its workforce in March. |
JUMP/LIME | Jump, a subsidiary of Uber, was offloaded to Lime, which raised $170 million in May. Lime’s valuation has since dropped to $510 million, a 79 percent plunge. Just before the deal, Lime laid off about 13 percent of its workforce. |
LYFT | Lyft laid off close to 1,000 workers in April and opted not to participate in the pilot this go-round, saying it wanted to focus on the expansion of Divvy, its bike program. |
SPIN | Bought by Ford in November 2018 for $100 million, it has grown from just 24 employees to hundreds, and from seven to 70 markets in a year. |
WHEELS | After laying off 6 percent of workers in February, Wheels, one of a few that have a bike/scooter hybrid with a seat, relaunched service in cities like L.A. and Dallas in June. It’s added baskets and self-cleaning surfaces on its handlebar grips. |