What's Up With Those Electric Bikes in Dallas? Inside Uber's Roll-out of ‘Jump'

This story originally published Dec. 10 and was updated Jan. 16 after the roll-out of Jump vehicles.Uber has jumped into Dallas with a brand-new rent-a-ride for this market: rechargeable electric bikes.Jump, which Uber bought in April for $200 million, filed an application last month with Dallas City Hall to bring 2,000 stationless e-bikes to town. The company's plans also include 2,000 Jump-branded electric scooters.Chris Miller, Uber's public policy manager for Texas, said the roll-out "just makes sense in a city with a large population, a desire for innovation — and a lot of ground to cover."City transportation officials long expected the arrival of electric-pedal-assisted bikes, referring to them as a sort of sweet spot between the bikes that flooded the streets in the summer of 2017 and the seemingly ubiquitous electric scooters that have mostly replaced them in recent months. Riders still have to move their feet, but the motor does the hard work — and allows the bikes to hit speeds up to 20 mph.  Continue reading...