With Uber's backing, we can probably expect to see JUMP bikes sprout up in other U.S. cities quickly. Both companies have confirmed the deal and the bike-share firm may continue to operate independently, though the staff will be absorbed in Uber's roll. The Jump Bikes app was integrated with the Uber app in San Francisco in February.

As Reuters notes, this acquisition could potentially put Uber back on the map in global markets where it has struggled.

Perhaps instead of being so obsessed with making the world safe for autonomous cars, we should be concentrating on making them safe for bikes and e-bikes; they are going to carry a lot more people a lot sooner.

The case, which deals the Silicon Valley start-up another legal setback, concerned Uber's use of unlicensed drivers as part of its UberPOP service in France, which has since been suspended.

Electric: Biking the hills of San Francisco (or the bridges of Brooklyn) can be a pain, but electric bicycles have their own, electric motors to use in those situations. Unlike the rows of Ford GoBikes available around the Bay Area or Citi Bikes in New York City, which have designated pickup and drop-off locations, dockless bikes like Jump are picked up wherever the last rider left them.

In January, Uber began offering San Francisco customers a way to reserve Jump Bikes from within its app. Jump, which started operating as Social Bicycles Inc., got its start selling bicycles to cities, including Portland and Phoenix. About half of us states classify e-bikes as motor vehicles, requiring licensing, registration and even insurance, making them illegal to ride. Critics say they can cause a huge mess as broken and vandalized bikes are abandoned.

In DC and SF, where JUMP electric bikes are on the streets, we're seeing riders travel 3x the distance per ride on a JUMP bike in comparison to a regular bike. In cities including NY and Uber's hometown of San Francisco, for example, the company faces pressure from transit experts and regulators who say ride-hailing has worsened congestion and decreased use of public transit systems.

The company has been testing Jump Bikes in San Francisco.

The company now has 2,000 dockless, GPS-enabled bikes in 40 cities across six countries including Brighton in the United Kingdom, and unlike some services, its bikes offer electric pedalling assistance to make climbing hills and zipping around cities that little bit easier. The company said that Uber's "ultimate goal" is to "make it easier to live without owning a personal auto", and so other forms of transport - including bicycles - may further this dream.

Now Uber is acquiring JUMP Bikes to better take advantage of the bike-sharing services business.

Given Uber's scale, Rzepecki expects to be able to spread Jump's bikes further and faster.