Uber acquired electric bike-sharing company JUMP two months ago in an effort to expand its business beyond traditional ride-share methods.
JUMP is already in four US areas, but Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi announced yesterday that the electric bikes would be coming to Germany. The service will hopefully launch in its first city, Berlin, by the end of the summer, according to Reuters.
JUMP bikes are dockless electric bikes that can be rented, and dropped off, anywhere in the city. In the US, a rental costs $2 for a 30-minute ride. Uber faces fierce competition from the wide array of other bike-sharing companies that operate throughout the European continent. Services like Obo, Limebike and Ofo already have set up shop in the German capital and have inundated the streets with more than 18,000 bikes.
The ride-hailing company plans on bringing JUMP to other European cities as well.
Uber has faced a litany of problems in Europe. A handful of countries and cities have banned them — including London, Denmark and even Germany at one point. German taxi drivers protested outside of Khosrowshahi’s announcement — holding signs that read “Uber go home.”
Bringing green, electric bikes could be a move by Uber to regain some of the trust that company has lost over the years.
“I want this to signal a deep commitment to Germany,” Khosrowshahi said. “Germany is a little bit of a signal of what the new Uber can be like… We want to work with local governments and cities to make our model work.”
Khosrowshahi also announced its electric car service UberGreen, which allows user to book an electric vehicle, would be coming to Berlin after a successful trial in Munich.
H/T: Reuters
Featured image by Michele Tantussi/Getty Images