Dave Pinwell

Dave Pinwell

Dave Pinwell is a prolific blogger and IT enthusiast and has kindly allowed us to reproduce his popular weekly IT Talk column first published in the Solihull News. Dave is also CEO of Colebridge Trust and SUSTAiN which play a key role in providing strategic support to Solihull’s Voluntary & Community sector. Dave has extensive experience in the IT sector, with roles including IT Director with Fujitsu Telecommunications Europe Ltd.
Tech News 30th May 2018 1004

Uber Customers Get Set For Wheely Good Choice

The smartphone driven, gig economy giant of the urban roads, Uber, is diversifying on two wheels.

Just last month, it bought about 15,000 electric bikes.

It freewheeled into this new market by snapping up the bike sharing start up, jump, and its operations in 40 cities.

Uber the started a process of migrating these into its own smartphone app, starting with a pool of 250 bikes in San Francisco, notorious for its cycle unfriendly steep hills.

Here, the add-on 250 watt electric motors, which give extra push to the front wheels on Jump’s bikes, make getting around a breeze.

This provides a cheap way of seeing Frisco, as well, at a rental charge of just two dollars an hour.

Unlike London’s ‘Boris bikes,’ Uber’s new two wheelers do not have to be returned to a ‘docking station.’

They carry their own locks and can be clamped to any suitable street furniture at journey’s end.

The on board electronics include GPS tracking and will then show the location of available bikes to prospective hirers looking for their next ride. Jump had only made one foray into the UK as yet.

Brighton’s BTN Bike scheme uses 450 of their electric cycles. However, this is a joint venture with the local council and UK bike share operator, Hourbike and Uber only own the bicycles.

So, these may not appear on Uber’s app any time soon. Nevertheless, the future direction is clear cut.

Uber regulars looking at their apps will be looking at both nearby cars and drivers and available bikes for hire, and will be choosing between two wheels or four.

The only question is how soon.

Dave Pinwell

Dave Pinwell is a prolific blogger and IT enthusiast and has kindly allowed us to reproduce his popular weekly IT Talk column first published in the Solihull News. Dave is also CEO of Colebridge Trust and SUSTAiN which play a key role in providing strategic support to Solihull’s Voluntary & Community sector. Dave has extensive experience in the IT sector, with roles including IT Director with Fujitsu Telecommunications Europe Ltd.

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