Uber users from Amsterdam recently received a welcome surprise from the car sharing company, in the form of a service that takes them and their bikes home.
UberBike launched in Amsterdam and permits riders to hail cars that have bike racks installed. This could be very useful for a number of situations, for example, when your bike gives in during your commute. Or when the weather suddenly breaks, which we hear tends to happen in The Netherlands' capital city. Or when you are too, ahem, fatigued to pedal to your destination but you want to take your bike with you.
The announcement came via the Dutch blog of the company, with details regarding pricing.
The rates for travelling via UberBike are identical to those asked for UberX, plus an additional €4 ($4.50) charge.
Amsterdam is hosting one of the largest groups of regular bicycle users, with 63 percent of population saying that they use bikes everyday. This opens the doors for services such as UberBike, but the current number of drivers who registered is still insignificant.
Uber aims to deliver services that are customized to various cities' traffic habits. Earlier this year, the enterprise launched UberMoto in Bangkok. UberMoto is a motorbike hailing service under Uber's umbrella, which banks on the high number of commuters who choose motorbikes instead of cars to elude the city's numerous traffic jams. However, regulatory measures caused the service to be shut down a few months after.
Uber did not officially declare whether the UberBike service will reach other locations.
Amsterdam may be the first capital to get the service, but is not the first big city to deploy it.
The car hailing company did introduce UberBike to São Paulo, Brazil. A relatively similar service, dubbed UberPedal, also already exists in Portland.
But how does one ask for UberBike, specifically?
First off, you will need to be in Amsterdam when you open your Uber app. Once you're there, you will have to slide until you find the "UberBIKE" option. Then, input the address where you and your two-wheeled companion need to be picked up from. Simply confirm the request and sit tight until your UberBike ride is there. Keep in mind that only one bike per ride is allowed.
Would you like to have access to UberBike in your own city? Let us know in the comments section below.
