Uber to offer electric scooters and bikes in Australia

DAVID SWAN

OCTOBER 15, 2019

The Australian

Ridesharing giant Uber is gearing up to launch electric scooters and bikes in Australia, with the Silicon Valley company in discussions with councils across the country to bring its ‘JUMP’ vehicles Down Under.

Speaking exclusively to The Australian, Uber’s boss of ANZ and North Asia Susan Anderson said one of her key priorities was to bring Uber’s micro mobility options to Australia, and that conversations well underway.

Uber is already trialling electric scooters in New Zealand’s capital Wellington, and Ms Anderson said once implemented, the bikes and scooters would help put a significant dent in road congestion across Australia’s cities.

“What we’ve seen in San Francisco for instance is that for short distances, people often choose scooters or bikes over taking an Uber X, so there are far less cars doing short trips around cities,” she said. “Over time we think there’s a real opportunity for governments to think about transportation across a suite of options, whether that’s electric vehicles, scooters, or bikes as a way to keep congestion out of city centres.

“We’re working closely with councils and government bodies who are making decisions on this right now, and considering how they want to regulate these new types of transportation. We’re currently submitting tenders to be considered as a provider, and we’re trying to build up relationships with governments and tell them about our enhanced safety features so they can partner with JUMP.”

The company is confident it can avoid the pitfalls that plagued the likes of bike-service operators oBike and Ofo, which exited Australia leaving droves of abandoned bikes for councils to pick up. Ms Anderson said Uber would be more successful by working with local councils and state governments before launch.

“We’re working closely with them on this and we’re approaching them the same way we approach all our relationships with cities, which is very collaborative and working hand in hand,” Ms Anderson said. “What we find particularly in Australia is a real openness and willingness to embrace the opportunities we’re presenting to them.”

Ms Anderson, who has led Uber’s ride businesses across Australia and New Zealand for the last two years and is based on the Gold Coast, today was promoted to an expanded leadership role including Uber’s ride businesses across North Asia, which includes Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

“They’re countries where Uber is not quite as mature as we are in Australia,” she said. “Users are used more than taxis on a regular basis in Australia, and myself and the team are really proud of that. In some of those countries we’re at an earlier stage of our journey, and we’ll be working closely with the taxi industry there, given taxi drivers are some of our main drivers on our platform.”

She added that Australia would soon see Uber’s “flying taxis”, dubbed Uber Air, which will begin testing in Melbourne in 2020.

“We’re super excited about what the next few years will look like.”

“Australia and New Zealand have embraced ridesharing and Uber like few other countries,” Pierre-Dimitri Gore-Coty, Vice President, International Rides for Uber said in a statement.

“Both are a source of product innovation for Uber and are home to its most forward looking technologies and partnerships, like Uber Elevate. Alongside her strong local teams, Susan will bring her experience, enthusiasm and expertise to North Asia and the many still untapped opportunities there.”

Uber has weathered a tough few years, having overhauled its leadership team and laid off hundreds of employees in the face of a struggling share price.

“We’ve been through a journey, and we’ve matured and obviously now we’re a public company,” Ms Anderson said. “Uber still receives a really large amount of applications from highly talented people, across Australia and North Asia. People want to be a part of this company which is able to really improve how people get around and experience their cities.

“Internally, we’re staying focused on the job at hand and providing the best experiences we can. The team is pretty happy and is heads down, focused.”