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Uber has just launched its first scooter sharing service as part of additional efforts to diversify its business.
Just weeks after the launch of its first scooter service by rival Lyft in Denver, Colorado, Uber chose the Californian city of Santa Monica for its debut.
Uber's electric scooters do not carry the image of the company. The service is operated by Jump, the bike and scooter sharing company it acquired in April 2018.
Each of the 250 red electric scooters can be rented via the Uber app. Riders can see the scooters available nearby on a map and book them immediately for $ 1. Rental costs 15 cents a minute, but it only starts when the first five minutes are up. In order to attract attention on its new service, Uber has made the scooters free to use until October 7th.
Note, however, that Uber's electric scooters are not docked. You will need to leave them at pick-up and drop-off points in front of Santa Monica.
The company faces similar services in Santa Monica, with Bird and Lime, as well as Lyft, which also operate scooter sharing systems as part of an 18-month pilot program. In July, Uber partnered with Lime and hopes to integrate its service with the Uber app by the end of the year.
"As we work to get your phone to replace your car, we think about every possible opportunity to get in and out of the car, and what smart and practical option we could offer to get you there instead." Rhea Dookeran, Uber product manager for scooters, said in a message announcing the new service. "Whether in the last mile from the train, at your favorite restaurant or in the office, scooters are an affordable and environmentally friendly way to get there."
The launch of the scooter is in line with the company's recent desire to become what Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of Uber, describes as an "urban mobility platform".
The boss said that he thought that two-wheelers would be better suited to urban travel than big cars. He said in an interview in August that, especially during the peak periods of the day, it is "very inefficient for a ton of metal to take a person 10." Uber (via Jump) and many more companies have already set up bicycle sharing systems in many US cities.
Bicycle and scooter sharing services have been launched in many cities in the United States over the last few years, although there has been mixed reception between residents. While bikers find them a convenient and economical way to cross the city, some residents have complained of cluttered sidewalks and reckless driving habits. Many municipal governments have been caught off guard by the rapid influx of such services and are beginning to regulate them appropriately only recently, to ensure their safe integration into urban life.
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