Uber to launch e-bikes sharing service in Seattle

International |  IANS  | Published :

San Francisco   :  U.S. ride-hailing leader Uber is going to launch its new e-bikes sharing service in Seattle, the largest city in the west U.S. state of Washington state, next month, according to a media report.

The new Uber service, to be provided by JUMP, a bike-share startup acquired by Uber in April, will be immediately available soon after the Seattle City Council approves a bike-share permit programme in the city in July, The Seattle Times newspaper said.

The arrival of the Uber-backed JUMP would heighten the competition among the companies that's brought 10,000 bikes, available for low-cost rental, scattered in nearly all corners of the city, reported Xinhua news agency quoting the newspaper.

San Francisco-based Uber is poised to face strong challenge from three other rivals, Spin, ofo and Lime, which are already operating in Seattle on one-year permits that expire in July. 

"We'll make a decision to apply for a permit once we see the regulations... We do hope to launch in Seattle," Uber spokesman Nathan Hambley said. 

The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) plans to present a proposal on the permit program to the City Council for approval next month.

The SDOJ wants to formulate measures to allow bike-sharing service without seeing bikes parked haphazardly in the city, a phenomenon often complained about by residents. 

SDOT spokeswoman Mafara Hobson said the city's forthcoming regulations will try to address that issue by adopting a strong proactive approach to manage bike-share parking, "ensuring that the companies keep sidewalks, curb ramps and transit access clear." 

Uber's e-bikes are electric assisted, which still need to pedal, but an electric motor (with a maximum speed of 32 km per hour) will help, especially riding uphill.








SURYAA NEWS, synonym with professional journalism, started basically to serve the Telugu language readers. And apart from that we have our own e-portal domains viz,. https://www.suryaa.com/ and https://epaper.suryaa.com