Ride share company Uber has purchased Jump, which operates dockless e-bike share programs in San Francisco and Washington, D.C. Uber announced earlier this year that its users could reserve Jump e-bikes using the Uber app in San Francisco.
The purchase price was not disclosed, although TechCrunch said it may have been close to $200 million. Uber said the purchase was in line with its goal of “bringing together multiple modes of transportation within the Uber app.”
Besides the e-bike pilot programs, Jump operates dockless share programs with traditional bikes in about 40 markets under the Social Bicycles brand. Its dockless system requires users to lock bikes to lamp posts or other streetside structures with an included U-lock when they are done riding, unlike other dockless programs where bikes can be left almost anywhere.
