Uber’s dockless electric bikes are coming to Chicago’s South Side

Rider-hailing giant Uber is bringing its Jump-branded dockless electric bikes to Chicago’s Far South Side starting Monday, July 2. It will be the fourth company—joining Pace, Limebike, and Ofo—to participate in Chicago’s dockless bike pilot program across the area bounded by 9th Street, Pulaski Road, 138th Street, and the Skyway.

Featuring an electric motor capable of propelling riders to a top speed of 20 miles per hour, the Jump bikes unlocked using Uber’s existing interface as well as a dedicated Jump app. Users without a smartphone can sign-up online and pay cash at a number of retail locations, according to the Chicago Tribune. Trips run $2 for the first 30 minutes with each additional minute seven cents.

Jump Bikes

Each of Jump’s electric bikes will also feature a U-shaped lock satisfying the City of Chicago’s requirements for a “lock to” mechanism. Aimed at keeping unused bikes affixed to objects like sign posts instead of cluttering the public way, the city’s rule has been challenged by Limebike and Ofo.

As with other companies participating in the city’s six-month dockless pilot program, the Uber-owned venture will be capped at 250 bikes. The pilot period is scheduled to end in November.

Jump was founded in 2010 and acquired by Uber in this April of this year. The ride-hailing juggernaut paid close to $200 million for the startup, according to sources reported by Tech Crunch.

• Uber’s electric, dockless bikes coming to South Side [Chicago Tribune]
• Uber buys dockless bike-share company Jump [Curbed SF]