Uber jumps into European bicycle-sharing market

SAN FRANCISCO, June 06 (Reuters): Ride-hailing company Uber said on Wednesday it would launch electric bicycle sharing service JUMP Bikes in Europe.

The San Francisco-based ride-hailing company, which bought JUMP Bikes last month, seeks to expand into other transportation modes and make peace with local authorities.

Uber agreed to buy the start-up in April in an attempt to be a truly multi modal transport service.

"The team is working hard to bring JUMP to Berlin by the end of this summer," said Uber Chief Executive Dara Khosrowshahi at a conference in Berlin.

"We also plan to launch in additional cities across Europe in the coming months," Khosrowshahi said.

"We're particularly excited about bikes because they can provide a convenient, environmentally friendly ride even in dense cities where space is limited and roads can be congested."

Uber is looking to be the go-to app for urban transportation options, be it buses, bikes or cars, allowing people to book trips across a range of services.

Uber has faced a rough ride in Europe.

Protests by traditional taxi drivers violent in the past turned and court bans have forced Uber to shut down some of its services in Europe.

Additionally, Uber and other ride-hailing companies have been accused of causing congestion in major cities like London.

Uber is battling a decision by London's transport regulator last September to strip it of its licence after it was deemed unfit to run a taxi service.

The ride-hailer started sharing data about its millions of trips with London in a bid to help tackle congestion.

Khosrowshahi said the company planned to launch a fully electric Uber Green service in Berlin by the end of the year, following its launch in Munich.

"Uber stands ready to help address some of the biggest challenges facing German cities," he said.

Tackling air pollution, reducing congestion and increasing access to cleaner transportation solutions, are major challenges, he stated.

In January, Khosrowshahi was focused on "responsible growth" as he sought to put an end to the take-no-prisoners culture he inherited upon joining Uber services last year.

JUMP Bikes are unlocked and locked using a smartphone app.

Because they are dockless, they can be left at any public bike rack, eliminating a lot of the infrastructure cost other bike-share companies incur, and their location is tracked via GPS.