Cars Take A Backseat As Uber Shifts Focus To eBikes And Scooters In Cities

Jump

An Uber might be your go-to way of getting around town right now, but the company is shifting its focus to offer riders more options. In an interview with the Financial Times, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said that Uber will focus on ebikes and scooters in the near future, moving away from cars, especially for city dwellers.

This pivot will cause Uber to lose money in the short term, but Khosrowshahi told the Financial Times that it is much more efficient to travel by bike or scooter when going 10 blocks or so in a city environment. Uber suffered $4.5 billion in losses last year, yet Khosrowshahi stands by the decision to focus on ebikes and scooters in the future.

Uber acquired bike-sharing company Jump in April 2018 and partnered with scooter company Lime in July. Uber hopes that customers will choose an ebike or scooter for short city journeys and cars for their longer rides. This shift would help Uber drivers as well because those longer rides would also be more expensive.

Flickr

This news comes shortly after both popular ride-sharing companies Uber and Lyft began looking for new ways to make life easier for customers. In August, Lyft announced that it will offer free rides for voters in underserved communities on Election Day this year, and trials of its monthly subscription plan are now available to select riders around the United States. Uber also announced in July that it’s now partnering with Venmo for payments on both its Uber and Uber Eats apps.

Ready to trade a backseat for a bike seat or scooter? Let us know how you feel about this news in our LinkedIn group!

RELATED

Uber Launches Speedboat Service To Take You Where You Want To Go

This Futuristic Bike Is The Solution To All Of Your Commuting Problems