Ride-share company Uber has unveiled ambitious plans to launch their dockless electric share bikes in Australia within weeks.
Uber’s distinctive red JUMP e-bikes bikes have three gears and are designed to reach speeds of up to 25km/h which is consistent with Australian laws.
The bikes also feature cable locks, smartphone docks, GPS tracking, replaceable batteries and mechanical sensors to avoid some of the issues that plagued previous bike-share schemes in Australia.
Uber's JUMP e-bikes still require users to pedal, however once you put pressure on the pedals, the electric assistance kicks in – flattening hills and shortening distances. This also means that users are still getting the health benefits the come with riding a bike.
“We’re excited to have JUMP e-bikes joining the Uber transport ecosystem in multiple Australian and New Zealand cities in early 2020," Uber Australia and New Zealand spokesman Lucas Groeneveld said in a statement.
Currently, JUMP bikes are available in 30 countries, including the US, France and Portugal, and are accessed through Uber’s smartphone app.
While Uber did not reveal which states would be first, Brisbane is expected to be one of the first Australian cities to see fleets of JUMP share bikes on their streets.
In December, we reported that the City of Yarra was already considering a proposal from Uber with the US-based company keen to launch in January or February of this year. Under the Yarra proposal the bikes would be managed by local organisation, Good Cycles.
Mr Groeneveld also told the Herald Sun that the bikes were heavy, harder to steal and that Uber was invested in making sure that the bikes did not litter Australian footpaths and parks.
Bicycle Network is keen to see JUMP arrive in Australia. Share bikes can ease the load on public transport and reduce congestion on our roads and electric ones make riding viable for more people of all ages and abilities. It’s also a great way to get more people to swap out of cars and on to bikes.
Read more: Uber bikes plan to jump into Australia, 20 June 2019
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