Megan Zaporowski

Chris Konowal replied 2 years, 9 months ago

Hi Megan,

I think that this is an interesting move by Uber, especially when considerings Uber’s aggressive mission to dominate urban transportation. Do you think that Uber’s somewhat notorious brand will affect how Jump is perceived by consumers? Will they choose to use other bike sharing programs because of Uber’s traditional “grow at all costs” mantra?
Shameika Ejiasi replied 2 years, 9 months ago

I really feel that bikes are slowly creeping back into popularity in big cities. The last time I went back home to Denver, I noticed green bikes scattered E V E R Y W H E R E… grocery store parking lots, at red lights, at bus stops, on hills, spilled over into random patches of grass, and even at gas stations. It was so strange. I looked up this green bike phenomenon and it’s a company called “Limebike” where you use an app to purchase a $1 ride, you don’t have to lock up the bike at all, you can just get off of it, and it stops running your card! You pay via an app, and you unlock the bike with the same app,. The initiative was created to get people moving around the city and increase healthier transportation habits. I thought it was just a small initiative in Denver, until I traveled to Seattle and saw the same weird bikes. I thought it was kind of cute to see little green bikes scattered throughout these major cities. It was different, and offered a sense of guerrilla marketing. These jump bikes are the same thing, I suppose, you pay with an app (Uber), and you park it where you feel makes the most sense.

Thanks for sharing!
Nate Wiener replied 2 years, 9 months ago

As a cyclist, I’m a fan of all things bike. It will be very interesting to see how this plays out in urban areas. Electric bikes will certainly have an advantage over pedal powered bikes, in my opinion, so Uber should have a winner on their hands with Jump.

Somewhat unrelated side note: I’m fascinated that a city like NYC could try to ban large sodas for health reasons, but not require bike helmets for bike sharing programs.
Emma Levine replied 2 years, 8 months ago

We have different brands in Seattle but same business model: Limebike, OFO, and SPIN. They have their pros and cons. It’s super convenient to just pull up one of the apps to see where a bike is, usually just a block or two away. Also, super cheap. $1 per 30 min, a steal! However since you can park them anywhere, people sometimes get creative. Putting them in the center of a sidewalk, in the bushes, I have seen one on top of a store! Sometimes they clog up the sidewalks because of the sheer number of them. Overall people are practicing good habits with them and I believe the city is cracking down on inventory so congestion diminishes.
Smart move by Uber to jump into this space! I know they already have uber eats. I have heard they are getting into the delivery space for companies need to move products i.e. Amazon. We have amazon NOW which can get you products within the hour. It would be smart for uber to utilize its fleet in such a way to move products the same way they move people. I think they should continue to explore this business avenue.

Megan Zaporowski

@megan-zaporowski

FOX SCHOOL OF BUSINESS

MS Digital Innovation in Marketing

@megan-zaporowski

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FOX SCHOOL OF BUSINESS

MS Digital Innovation in Marketing