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Uber enters dockless bike wars with Jump acquisition

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Re: Uber enters dockless bike wars with Jump acquisition

#51

Post by hunter23 »

bradly wrote: post #45
saudioger wrote: post #6

Does anyone know if going dockless increases ridership in any significant way? The consumer benefits seem great but it seems like such a nightmare to maintain compared to a docking system.

Yes, because docked bikes need to be done in cooperation with a city or business to install a dock station. With dockerless, the streets where I live have just been littered with bikes and scooters.

A lot of regulators in the US are thinking about requiring dockerless systems to coordinate with them now. Many cities don't want the littering issue.

Re: Uber enters dockless bike wars with Jump acquisition

#52

Post by UncleEntity »

jseliger wrote: post #18
dawhizkid wrote: post #13

Awesome! Having used Jump this weekend, I wouldn't say dockless is the main value prop to me as a customer - it's the power assist that makes it feel more like a scooter than a bike. Going medium distances (1-2 miles) and up and down steep hills in SF was a breeze. If you're commuting, it's "sweat free." IMO Uber Pool/Lyft Line has gotten so slow (I'm sure Pool/Line's share of total rides vs regular X/Lyft is more th…

it's the power assist that makes it feel more like a scooter than a bike There are many comments online about how awesome electric bikes are and many skeptical responses. I think the basic divide comes down to one thing: Has the person tried an electric bike? Almost everyone who has immediately sees them as awesome. Many who haven't don't get the point. There are finally some reputable electric bikes available for ar…

> Has the person tried an electric bike? Almost everyone who has immediately sees them as awesome. Many who haven't don't get the point.

Probably depends on your goals as well.

I got one of those 2-stroke engines to put on my bike a while ago and when it arrived I was looking at it and thinking "if I put this thing on my bike I'll never get any exercise". Instead I went to the pawn shop and got another bike and put it on that one instead -- and it sits in the corner unused to this day. One of these years I'll get it out and ride it around because it's actually pretty nice looking, a "lowrider" beach cruiser that fits the engine perfectly like they were made for each other.

Re: Uber enters dockless bike wars with Jump acquisition

#53

Post by keerthiko »

hunter23 wrote: post #49
maherbeg wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you may underestimate the impact e-bikes are going to have on major (non-car centric) cities. They'll likely reshape cities significantly as infrastructure gets improved for biking. You can get significant traffic density improvements by pushing bikes instead of cars, and e-bikes make this more accessible.

Yes, but is the US the area where the product will have the most revolutionary impact? In my view, I would target high density cities like Hong Kong, Tokyo, Singapore, Delhi, Paris, etc. Europe and Asia seem like the most important markets for the technology rather than the US which is littered with sprawled out cities.

The US is the least penetrated market when it comes to bikes. Uber changed the way people interact with taxis/cabs enough to make a cultural impact in many parts of the world, and it has the clout to do the same with bikes. I think it's a good diversification on their part, kind of insuring against the future where driverless cars won't necessarily become the de facto universal means of transit worldwide as the rest of America/SV seems to envision.

Re: Uber enters dockless bike wars with Jump acquisition

#54

Post by rishabhparikh »

wpietri wrote: post #8
saudioger wrote: post #6

Does anyone know if going dockless increases ridership in any significant way? The consumer benefits seem great but it seems like such a nightmare to maintain compared to a docking system.

Just the other day I saw some very dubious people on BART with dockless bikes. I had to wonder if there's a good secondary market in bike parts that makes those things worth stealing.

Why did you think they might be stealing the bikes?

Re: Uber enters dockless bike wars with Jump acquisition

#55

Post by oh_sigh »

wpietri wrote: post #7

This is a puzzle to me. Uber faces some critical issues ahead. If they can solve them, the bikes will be a rounding error. If they can't, the bike business won't be enough to save them. Why add the complexity when they could buy or build something later? I especially can't figure out why the Jump CEO would do it. The odds of their work surviving to the 10 year mark seems so small. It reminds me of something like Dodg…

I suspect this move is about being the go-to transportation provider in any large city, regardless of the mode. Uber is seemingly good about paring back offerings that don't contribute to that vision, like UberRUSH

Re: Uber enters dockless bike wars with Jump acquisition

#56

Post by rogerbinns »

wpietri wrote: post #7

This is a puzzle to me. Uber faces some critical issues ahead. If they can solve them, the bikes will be a rounding error. If they can't, the bike business won't be enough to save them. Why add the complexity when they could buy or build something later? I especially can't figure out why the Jump CEO would do it. The odds of their work surviving to the 10 year mark seems so small. It reminds me of something like Dodg…

> Why add the complexity when they could buy or build something later?

The two valuable things Uber has is customer credit cards on file and an app installed on their devices. Deals like this that add to those is valuable, and is a barrier to their current and future competitors.

Re: Uber enters dockless bike wars with Jump acquisition

#57

Post by convolvatron »

wpietri wrote: post #8
saudioger wrote: post #6

Does anyone know if going dockless increases ridership in any significant way? The consumer benefits seem great but it seems like such a nightmare to maintain compared to a docking system.

Just the other day I saw some very dubious people on BART with dockless bikes. I had to wonder if there's a good secondary market in bike parts that makes those things worth stealing.

i work near a group of homeless bike chop shop people with trash bins filled with parts. they move alot* of bikes.

i dont see any of the ford or jump bikes around. i think they are just so awash in parts and frames, there really isn't any strong pull to try to mine the bike rental stream. the frames in particular are probably worthless except as steel scrap.

i wonder about the battery/motors though.

Re: Uber enters dockless bike wars with Jump acquisition

#58

Post by bnjms »

fataliss wrote: post #46
maherbeg wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you may underestimate the impact e-bikes are going to have on major (non-car centric) cities. They'll likely reshape cities significantly as infrastructure gets improved for biking. You can get significant traffic density improvements by pushing bikes instead of cars, and e-bikes make this more accessible.

That would take a lot of political will to do something like that though and it would take YEARS! I don't think the US is a great market (right now) for city-bikes. Outside of maybe Manhattan & SF I can't think of any major city where a bike would take you places faster/better than another way of transportation would. When you consider all the hassles that biking as a transportation comes with, I doubt this has any l…

There are a lot of cities with older areas which have gentrified into concert/eating/drinking-hang-out hubs. These areas weren't planned so they may be too spread out for foot traffic and adding bikes may increase travel in the area. People aren't about to bring their own bikes but if they're already there why not use them. And if the bike sharing startups prove to cities that people are willing to ride bikes cities, especially those with universities, may begin planning to have dedicated bike lanes. As drivers learn to look for bicyclists it will become safer and easier politically to plan for bicyclists. I'm all for it.

Re: Uber enters dockless bike wars with Jump acquisition

#59

Post by eckmLJE »

electricEmu wrote: post #48
fataliss wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That would take a lot of political will to do something like that though and it would take YEARS! I don't think the US is a great market (right now) for city-bikes. Outside of maybe Manhattan & SF I can't think of any major city where a bike would take you places faster/better than another way of transportation would. When you consider all the hassles that biking as a transportation comes with, I doubt this has any l…

Seattle? Portland? Minneapolis/St. Paul? You might consider bicycling while you travel more. In Seattle alone, OFO, LimeBike, and Spin are all competing. American bicycle infrastructure is behind, but it exists. I don't own a car. I get around those cities on bike without issue. It's as fast or faster than a car in many cases and I'm peddling the old fashioned way (with legs).

Washington, DC is a big bike commuting city. Jump bikes are everywhere here.
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