INTERNATIONAL - For the first time, ride-hailing company Uber will allow users to rent electric-assist bicycles, or ebikes, through its app in partnership with Jump, a bike-rental service in San Fransisco.
Using the app, either an Uber or Jump resident in the city can find a nearby bicycle, unlock it, ride it wherever they need to go, then lock it up to a bike rack with a built-in lock.
Jump is will be making 250 ebikes available San Francisco for an 18-month trial, with the potential for another 250 to be added nine months in. "Our mission at JUMP Bikes is to build the bike you want," Jump CEO Ryan Rzepecki wrote in a blog post.
"A bike that can take you farther, get you there faster, and be the most fun to ride. A bike that you don’t even need to own, doesn’t cost a penny to maintain and is always nearby when you want it. If we achieve this mission then we’ll see more people on bikes — meaning greener, more accessible, and healthier cities", said Rzepecki.
Uber's pilot program will initially be available to users who travel in the areas of San Francisco where Jump's electric bikes will be available.