Uber to Introduce JUMP Bike-sharing Service in Berlin

Ride-hailing firm Uber Technologies Inc. will be offering its electric bicycle sharing service in Europe, as part of its effort to expand its international services by adding more eco-friendly means of transportation.

Uber stated on Wednesday that it plans to roll out its JUMP bike rental service to Berlin before the end of the summer, with other European cities to follow in the coming months.

The Jump e-bike, according to Uber Chief Executive Dara Khosrowshahi, will be the potential replacement for Uber trips, so that they can be bigger than just cars, they can be about mobility within a city and help provide a solution for the traffic problems every city is experiencing.

Ridesharing app-based companies, including Uber, have been blamed for traffic issues in major cities like London.

The San Francisco- based firm said further details with regards to the pricing of the bike rides in Europe will be provided in the near future.

Uber also intends to launch UberGreen service of electric car rides to the German capital this year, as it seeks to push electrification of transport across European cities.   

Uber Facing Difficulty in Germany’s Market

Entering Germany’s bike-rental market not only means an expansion opportunity for Uber, but it would also mean contending against other bicycle-sharing groups.

Berlin is already packed with the presence from companies, including China’s Mobike and ofo, as well as US startup LimeBike.

After its rapid move into China, bike-sharing services has expanded in Europe and North America, with the US players trying to keep up with the international activities of Chinese competitors.       

Cities worldwide can be seen with similar fleets of bicycles that are meant for short-term rental, while the sharing systems of non-electric models have been in use for 10 years.

Uber currently provides JUMP bike-rental services in Washington DC and San Francisco, where 250 bicycles have been made available.

London has about 11,500 two-wheelers being offered for an initial fee of £2 ($2.68), while some cities in China totaled their public bicycles in the hundreds of thousands.   

Besides potential competition, Germany itself has become a difficult market for Uber’s key business units. The peer-to-peer (P2P) firm had to withdraw its primary service of providing cheaper-than-taxi rides with private drivers amid legal issues.

Since Khosrowshahi’s appointment as head of Uber in August, he has been trying to improve Uber’s image, which has been tarnished by management turmoil and revelations concerning an alleged sexist workplace culture tolerant of chauvinism.             

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