Year-long trial will begin with March introduction of 400 electric bikes engineered by Uber and operating in more than 30 countries
Thu 6 Feb 2020
A new Uber-owned electric bike-sharing service will put hundreds of bikes on Melbourne’s streets as part of a one-year trial.
The cities of Yarra and Port Phillip have signed a memorandum of understanding with Jump, an Uber-affiliate. A City of Melbourne spokesperson said: “Four hundred e-bikes will be introduced to the City of Melbourne in early March, followed by e-bikes rolling out in Yarra and Port Phillip, with more to be deployed as the one-year trial progresses.”
The bikes come with electric motors and helmets.
The trial comes two years after another bike-sharing service found its oBikes thrown in the Yarra River and up trees.
The new bikes have been engineered by Uber over 10 years and are already operating in more than 30 countries.
Bicycle Network, an online community geared towards promoting bicycle-friendly communities, has welcomed the plan. “Bicycle Network has long been as supporter of bike-share schemes,” it said. “We believe that public bikes are key to creating bike-friendly communities that promote bike riding as a viable alternative to driving and public transport.”
Jump’s general manager, Henry Greenacre, said: “Users will get in-app instructions about how to safely use and park the e-bikes. The e-bikes also have built-in cable locks, which means they can be safely secured to bike infrastructure.”
The bikes are not allowed to travel outside Melbourne, Yarra and Port Phillip and users’ Uber accounts will incur penalty charges if they go beyond the boundaries.
Uber to roll out hundreds of Jump e-bikes in Melbourne | The Guardian
Year-long trial will begin with March introduction of 400 electric bikes engineered by Uber and operating in more than 30 countries Thu 6 Feb 2020 A new Uber-owned electric bike-sharing service will put hundreds of bikes on Melbourne’s streets as part of a one-year trial. The cities of Yarra and Port Phillip have signed a… [Read More]
