MIT Technology Review Subscribe

Uber is trying its hand at bike sharing

The world’s largest ride-hailer is branching out into another mode of transport: bicycles.

Background: Some bike-sharing schemes, with bikes docked and unlocked via a kiosk, have existed in US and European cities for a while. But last year more dockless, app-unlocked versions began to appear—especially in China, where startups such as Ofo and Mobike have become incredibly successful.

Advertisement

The news: Uber is now teaming up with startup JUMP to provide people with dockless, shared bikes in San Francisco from next week. Called Uber Bike, customers will be able to book out a bike from the regular Uber app. As TechCrunch notes: “To be clear, the bikes will not be brought to people.” You’ll have to get to it yourself.

This story is only available to subscribers.

Don’t settle for half the story.
Get paywall-free access to technology news for the here and now.

Subscribe now Already a subscriber? Sign in
You’ve read all your free stories.

MIT Technology Review provides an intelligent and independent filter for the flood of information about technology.

Subscribe now Already a subscriber? Sign in

Why it matters: Not all journeys need a car: biking can be faster during rush hour. Investors agree. In China, millions of dollars of investment have been poured into bike-sharing schemes—and Uber is keen not to miss out on the trend.

This is your last free story.
Sign in Subscribe now

Your daily newsletter about what’s up in emerging technology from MIT Technology Review.

Please, enter a valid email.
Privacy Policy
Submitting...
There was an error submitting the request.
Thanks for signing up!

Our most popular stories

Advertisement