Uber buys the JUMP dockless ebikeshare company

[Dewey]

Big news from this side of the pond. Following small trials in Washington, DC, and San Fransisco, CA, Uber bought the JUMP ebikeshare company. The Washington Post reports that because of JUMP's participation in the DC dockless bikeshare trial, the DC city government is now going to look at revising it's municipal regulation prohibiting "Motorized Bicycles" from pavements outside the central business district, it helps that JUMP makes the rider lock up with a supplied U-lock to end the ride, during the DC trial this has helped cut down on #bikelitter. Moving forward where Uber expands ebikeshare to other US cities it should mean an easing of restrictions on where Class 1 pedelecs (20mph limited, no throttle) may operate. This can only be good for sales and maybe the advent of fleets of rental pedelecs on the streets of US cities might raise the popularity of that type of ebike in the US.

 

[Dewey]

Interesting read from Portland, Oregon, with 10 reasons why Uber buying JUMP may be a good thing for urban transit. Re: reasons #2, 4 & 7,
#2 Policy: Uber has the clout to ease regulation of pedelecs/US Class 1 ebikes in cities where JUMP operates.
#4 Driver network: will we see Uber cars fitted with bike racks to redistribute dockless ebikeshare bikes?
#7 I'd love to see JUMP add cargo ebikeshare similar to Donk-EE in Cologne.

 

[flecc]

#2 Policy: Uber has the clout to ease regulation of pedelecs/US Class 1 ebikes in cities where JUMP operates.

Good thing, that needs sorting.

#4 Driver network: will we see Uber cars fitted with bike racks to redistribute dockless ebikeshare bikes?

Can't see many car owners doing that, lifting heavy hire bikes onto roofs.

#7 I'd love to see JUMP add cargo ebikeshare similar to Donk-EE in Cologne.

They certainly wouldn't lift these onto roofs!
.

 

[Dewey]

Can't see many car owners doing that, lifting heavy hire bikes onto roofs...They certainly wouldn't lift these onto roofs!

I have a tray style trailer hitch rack just 1 foot off the ground, I think that would work for most fit people, but yeah even with a tandem rack they would need vans or trailers to redistribute cargo ebikes.

More worrying is this sort of **** which reinforces the need to check controls and brakes before riding off on a dockless bikeshare bike or scooter:
Brake lines cut on dockless bikeshare bikes in Seattle
Power lines cut on ebikeshare scooter in San Fransisco

 

[anotherkiwi]

1. Buy dockless bike company
2. Don't pay decent wages
3...
4. Profit!!!

 

[Dewey]

Yeah, that's not been our experience with JUMP ebikeshare in Washington DC, you have to use the supplied U-lock to end the rental so it's the one dockless bikeshare company during the trial that hasn't caused #bikelitter