Uber acquires dockless bike service

“Uber is officially entering the dockless bike-sharing space,” said Johana Bhuiyan in Recode.net. The ride-hailing company announced this week it has acquired the ondemand electric bike-sharing startup Jump Bikes for an undisclosed sum. Known for its large, basket-clad red bicycles, Jump currently operates in Washington, D.C., and San Francisco and will be available in Sacramento next month. “Jump doesn’t require a dock, which means it can be parked almost anywhere.” Uber is likely to expand the bike-sharing service and has already opened a wait list for its customers in other cities to be notified when Jump bikes arrive. “Integrating bike sharing into Uber’s platform will enable users to bike to a place where it’s more convenient or cheaper for a driver to pick them up.” Because the bikes are GPS-enabled, users can “plan their ride-sharing trips around where there are available bikes.”