Uber shows off new JUMP Bikes and Scooters at its Elevate conference

A big theme at this year’s Uber Elevate conference is moving beyond simple ride-sharing to other transportation methods like e-bikes and electric scooters.

First off, the company revamped its JUMP Bikes to make it easier for users to swap batteries in and out should their bike be low on charge.

Uber bought Jump in 2018, but originally the bikes featured integrated batteries so workers had to pick them up in a van and transport them to a charging warehouse.

Shortly after the acquisition, the next-gen bikes included a removable battery to streamline charging.

Now, the company aims to make it even easier to charge bikes with an easily swappable battery. The company hopes that by 2020 it will have battery recharging kiosks that look like vending machines in cities so anyone can swap a battery out of a dead or dying bike.

Uber is releasing the new bikes later this year but has yet to share any plans related to bringing the models to Canada.

In Canada, JUMP bikes are a rarity, but they’re going to hit the streets of Montreal sometime this summer. There have also been rumours that they might appear in Vancouver, but there is no conclusive news yet.

MobileSyrup has reached out to Uber to find out what other Canadian cities will be getting JUMP bikes.

After the company showed off its new bikes, it took some time to highlight a new electric scooter model. This version has a larger frame and wheels. Its new handbrake also gently applies the brakes to both wheels to make sure that riders stop slowly and safely.

So far these scooters are not available in Canada, but Quebec is working on electric scooter regulations so it could allow the vehicles to operate there someday.