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Uber-style car-share firm Lyft has acquired Motivate, the largest bike-share operator in North America. This follows Uber’s April acquisition of dockless bike-share firm Jump bike.
Motivate operates 80 per cent of the “docked” bike-share schemes in the US, including the hire schemes in New York’s Citibike, Chicago’s Divvy (don’t ask), Washington, D.C.’s Capital Bikeshare, and San Francisco’s Ford-sponsored GoBike.
“Together Lyft and Motivate will revolutionize urban transportation and put bike-share systems across the country on a path toward growth and innovation,” said a Lyft statement.
Lyft president John Zimmer said: “Bringing together Lyft and Motivate will accelerate our collaboration with cities and deliver even better experiences to our passengers and riders.”
He added that “Lyft will put resources behind the work that the Motivate team has begun.”
Lyft is acquiring Motivate’s technology and corporate functions, including its city contracts. Motivate’s bike maintenance and servicing operations will remain a standalone business, retaining the Motivate name, and will continue to support bike-share systems across North America.
Motivate executive chairman Steve Koch said: “How we get around cities is changing rapidly, and the combination of Lyft and Motivate will bring tremendous new resources and energy to making sure that bike-share plays a fundamental role in the new urban mobility.
“Together, we believe that integrating our services in partnership with the public sector will transform the urban transportation landscape, increase bike ridership, and make our cities better.”
