April 19, 2024 Breaking News, Latest News, and Videos

‘Amazon of Transportation’: Uber Reportedly in Secret Talks to Buy Bird or Lime

Ride-hailing giant looks to acquire scooter company before going public.

By Sam Catanzaro

A little over a year after Bird launched their first e-scooters in Santa Monica a multi-billion dollar transportation behemoth is courting the company: Uber.

As reported initially by The Information, and later by the Financial Times and Mashable, Uber is pursuing a deal to buy either Bird or Lime. These speculations come less than a month before Uber is set to go public in early 2019 and some estimates have evaluated the company’s worth at $120 billion. 

The Santa Monica Mirror has reached out to Bird, Lime and Uber seeking confirmation about a potential deal, but at the time of publishing, only Uber had responded, declining to comment. 

This news comes a week after Uber’s ride-hailing rival Lyft acquired electronic-assist bike company Motivate and signals a competitive escalation between transportation companies looking to capture the greatest share of riders. Speaking at a tech conference this summer, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said he hopes to make his ride-sharing service the Amazon of transportation.

“Let’s create a cheaper form of transportation from A to B, and for you to come to Uber, and Uber not just being about cars, and Uber not being about what the best solution for us is, but really being about the best solution,” Khosrowshahi said. “Just like Amazon sells third-party goods, we are going to also offer third-party transportation services. So we wanna kinda be the Amazon for transportation.”

Uber already has quite the presence within the Santa Monica transportation scene. In addition to their ride-hailing services, they also have 250 Jump e-scooters and 500 red Jump bikes under the City of Santa Monica’s Shared Mobility Pilot Program. On top of this, Uber also owns a minority stake in Lime, but the move to acquire a scooter company comes as the e-transit marketplace has heated up.

In November, Ford acquired e-scooter company Spin for around $100 million. Lime recently launched shareable cars, Lime Pods, in Seattle in addition to announcing plans to build brick and mortar stores in cities throughout the United States. Earlier this week, Bird launched Bird Platform, a service that allows independent operators to purchase custom branded scooters from Bird and rent them out to riders. (See top story page 7)

While buying either Bird or Lime would give Uber an edge on their competition, it won’t come cheap. Despite their status as young companies, Bird and Lime would both come with a price tag. This summer, Bird was valued at $2 billion while Lime touts a valuation of $1.1 billion. In addition, combined Bird and Lime have raised over $1 billion in venture capital in a year, making them two of the quickest companies ever to amassed such funds.

It remains unclear if Uber will be successful in pursuing a deal to purchase Bird or Lime. Both companies, as indicated by their expansion beyond scooters, have shown that they have their eyes set on being leading companies in the future of transportation, not a subsidiary of one. Regardless of the outcome of talks with Uber, Bird and Lime have come a long way since the first rider stepped on a Bird in Santa Monica a year ago.

in News
Related Posts

Nicolas Cage Stars in Arcadian: A Bewitching Apocalypse

April 18, 2024

April 18, 2024

New Horror Film Delivers Solid Monster Movie Experience Arcadian is a new horror film starring Nicolas Cage (Dream Scenario, Mandy),...

SMC to Host Applied Music Showcase in May

April 18, 2024

April 18, 2024

Highlighted Students Set to Perform a Variety of Songs, Instrumental Solos, Ensemble Pieces, and Original Compositions Santa Monica College’s Music...

(Video) Award-Winning Pianist to Premiere “Rocket Man: A Live Orchestral Experience” in Santa Monica

April 18, 2024

April 18, 2024

Classic Songs Will Include “Crocodile Rock” and “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” @smmirrornews “Rocket Man” is coming soon to Santa Monica...

Agreement Between SMMUSD and Malibu Moves District Separation Efforts Forward

April 17, 2024

April 17, 2024

The Agreement Awaits Approval by Both the Malibu City Council and the Smmusd Board of Education The City of Malibu...

Michael’s Santa Monica Celebrates 45 Years with Culinary Extravaganza With Famous Chefs

April 17, 2024

April 17, 2024

Iconic Restaurant Hosts “Great Party!!” Benefitting No Kid Hungry Campaign  Michael’s Santa Monica is set to commemorate its 45th anniversary...

Los Angeles Times Presents Star-Studded Lineup for 29th Festival of Books This Weekend

April 17, 2024

April 17, 2024

Over 550 Writers and Celebrities to Grace USC Campus for Weekend Extravaganza The Los Angeles Times has a stellar lineup...

Girls Learn Self Defense at Empowerment Summer Camp for Girls

April 17, 2024

April 17, 2024

This summer, girls are invited to explore practical self defense training at SHIELD Women’s Self Defense’s 2024 Empowerment Summer Camp...

Marina del Rey Apartment Shooter Faces 20 Felony Charges, Could Spend Life in Prison

April 17, 2024

April 17, 2024

The Self-Employed Chef Is Being Held in Lieu of Over $5M Bail By Zach Armstrong A man accused of firing over...

Brentwood Art Center: Kids Explore Fundamentals of Drawing, Painting and Mixed Media

April 17, 2024

April 17, 2024

The beloved Brentwood Art Center is hosting summer camps at its new location at Olympic and 17th in Santa Monica. ...

Camp Integem: Explore, Design and Innovate with Future Tech

April 17, 2024

April 17, 2024

This summer, kids are inviting to make magic as they journey into the fun-filled, hands-on world of artificial intelligence (AI),...

(Video) Westwood Premiere of Zendaya’s New Film Challengers, Directed By Luca Guadagnino

April 17, 2024

April 17, 2024

Luca Guadagnino, stars Zendaya, Josh O’Connor, Mike Faist, composers Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, and producers Rachel O’Connor and Amy Pascal...

(Video) Mayor & Vice Mayor of Santa Monica Speak Out Against Needle Exchange Program

April 16, 2024

April 16, 2024

The Demonstration was Organized by the Santa Monica Coalition @smmirrornews A Santa Monica rally has held against the needle exchange...

Los Angeles County District Attorney Announces Charges In Brutal Venice Sexual Assaults

April 16, 2024

April 16, 2024

Charges Filed Against Suspect in Venice Canals Case by LADA George Gascon Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón has...

GoFundMe Raises Over $84K for Venice Canal Attack Victim

April 16, 2024

April 16, 2024

The Victim Received at Least Eight Fractures to Her Jaw, a Large Laceration to the Back of Her Head and...

420 is coming and our friends at Venice Kush are going to be going all out !

April 16, 2024

April 16, 2024

420 is coming and our friends at @Venice Kush are going to be going all out ! Check out this...