European cities have been overrun with bike-sharing programs from companies like LimeBike, Mobike, and Deezer. Now, Uber is throwing its hat into this already crowded market.
Jump, bike-rental service that Uber acquired in April, is already out in several U.S. cities and will be arriving in Europe next.
SEE ALSO:Bike-sharing has blown up in the past year, but cities are wary after the mess in ChinaUber announced on Wednesday that it's planning to the launch Jump in Berlin by the end of summer, with several other cities to follow. For now, the other cities are unknown, but Uber will likely specify the other cities after the service launches in Berlin.
In the U.S., Jump bike rentals generally cost $2 for 30 minutes of ride time. Pricing is not yet known for Berlin, but we suspect it will be fairly close to the U.S. bike-rental program.
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Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of Uber, announced the expansion on stage at the NOAH Conference in Berlin, saying "We’re particularly excited about bikes because they can provide a convenient, environmentally friendly ride even in dense cities where space is limited, and roads can be congested." It seems he hopes that this new mode of travel will allow customers to by pass traffic and make up the potentially lost time.
An advantage of Jump's service is that the bikes are not assigned docking stations; instead you can lock them to any bike rack in the city. Each Jump bike has a built-in U-Bar Lock for easy locking to any pole, and it can be stored in a holster while riding.
These bicycles are also electric with an electric-assist motor on board; the motor kicks in when you pedal and can hit speeds up to 20 mph. The range of each bike is between 30-40 miles depending on your ride style, and there isn't a guarantee your bike will have the full range when you pick it up -- since it may have been used right before you jump on board.
Berlin should have Jump bikes by the end of the summer, if all goes according to schedule. Uber will likely announce the larger roll out shortly after that.
Uber is clearly on the path of offering many modes of transportation through one app, and its latest offering through the Jump bike program could be a major boon for people traveling short distances.
