Uber looks to roll out dockless electric bike-share globally
Posted on in Business News , Cycles News
Uber users around the world may soon be able to hire e-bikes after the ride-sharing company bought US bike-hire firm Jump.
Based in New York, Jump allows riders to rent dockless electric-powered pedal assist bikes via an online platform.
Uber, which already has a tie-up with Jump in San Francisco, said it would now look to "scale" the bikes globally.
Uber chief Dara Khosrowshahi said: "We're committed to bringing together multiple modes of transportation within the Uber app - so that you can choose the fastest or most affordable way to get where you're going, whether that's in an Uber, on a bike, on the subway, or more."
The bike-sharing market is growing at about 20% a year and is set to be worth between €3.6bn (£3.1bn) and €5.3bn by 2020.
David Bailey, a professor at Aston Business School, told the BBC: "Uber is looking at this partly because it is fast growth area but it is also looking forward to a time when we won't own cars.
"Autonomous cars are coming and in big cities you won't need to own a car in future. You might want to use an Uber taxi but then finish the journey on a bike. So it's about offering multi-modal transport."
Founded in 2008, Jump Bikes has launched conventional bike-sharing schemes in 40 cities across six countries, including the UK.
Its e-bikes, which were unveiled last year in Washington DC, cost $2 (£1.40) for the first half-hour, then 7 cents per minute.
Users also locate and unlock the cycles with their smartphones and use a built-in lock to secure the bike to a rack at the end of their ride.
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