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Uber buys electric bike share startup Jump

Ride-sharing company Uber has acquired electric bike startup Jump.

Megan Wollerton Former Senior Writer/Editor
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Uber officially closes its purchase of bike-sharing startup Jump.

Jump

Uber on Monday closed its purchase of the bike-sharing startup Jump. 

Uber is a ride-sharing service available in hundreds of cities around the world. Like Lyft, you can book your trip, communicate with your driver and receive text updates when they get close -- all from the Uber app on your phone. 

It has become a popular alternative to taxis, but Uber has had a tough time amid reports of discrimination against women and people of color and the firing of its co-founder and former CEO, Travis Kalanick.

Uber has been in the news in recent weeks due to a fatal pedestrian crash with one of the company's self-driving cars. The company has since stopped its autonomous vehicle testing in Tempe, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, San Francisco and Toronto.

On Jan. 31, Uber announced plans to pilot Uber Bike by Jump, an electric bike-share program. Its bikes come with a feature called "e-assist" that's supposed to make it easier to climb hills. 

Watch this: Uber halts self-driving cars, Facebook hires auditor over privacy flap