Uber Eyes E-Scooter Start-Ups Bird and Lime to Expand its Urban Mobility Options
*By Carlo Versano*
Uber is sniffing around a possible acquisition of either Lime or Bird, the leaders in the growing e-scooter rental market, according to a [report](https://www.theinformation.com/articles/uber-exploring-deal-to-buy-bird-or-lime) in The Information. One of the reporters who broke that story told Cheddar on Monday that there is a "growing realization" among ridehailing companies that bike and scooters will continue to be a significant part of the urban mobility landscape.
Uber's ultimate target is "going to come down to price," said The Information's Cory Weinberg.
Both Uber and rival Lyft bought their own bikeshare operators this year ー Uber acquired Jump and Lyft now owns the Citibike-parent Motivate, making it the largest bikeshare in the country.
As for scooters, Uber already has a minority stake in Lime and started renting scooters through its app this summer.
Lyft has also started rolling out scooter rentals in cities including Denver and Washington, D.C, and is expected to expand Lyft-branded scooters under the Motivate umbrella.
Uber is also familiar with the operations and executive teams of both Bird and Lime, according to Weinberg. "They certainly know both of these companies really well." In fact, Bird is even run by a former Uber and Lyft executive, Travis VanderZanden.
Uber's desire to acquire a scooter start-up may also point to a reality of business for the ridehailing company: its U.S. growth has begun to slow, and the scooter space is growing rapidly.
One thing all these transportation companies have in common: they are burning through cash as they build out infrastructure and operations. If Bird or Lime is open to an acquisition, it would raise questions about whether they have hit speed bumps in their financing efforts, Weinberg said. For now, Bird's CEO has said the company is not for sale.
For the consumer, the endgame seems increasingly likely to be a "bundled services" model, Weinberg said, where Uber and Lyft have "multi-modal" apps, in which users can book a car, a bike, or a scooter, all from the same interface ー and maybe even get rewarded for using certain options. Customers getting a credit on a Lyft ride for regularly using a Citibike doesn't seem hard to imagine as the mobility wars evolve.
"Whatever Uber has, Lyft will try to match," said Weinberg. "Which will all be good for consumers."
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/uber-looks-to-acquire-bird-or-lime).
The six-month trial of Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes has come to an end with the former tech startup star found guilty of four out of 11 counts of fraud. Michael S. Weinstein, Esq, chair of the white collar criminal defense practice at Cole Schotz, and former Department of Justice trial attorney, joined Cheddar News Wrap to discuss what happens next for the former mogul. "Do I think it's going to be more than five or seven years? Probably yes. I think that's probably a fair range at this point," he said about her potential prison sentence.
Conor Cunningham, executive director at MKM Partners, breaks down how airlines are navigating COVID-19 outbreaks and highlights the growth spots within the travel industry.
President Biden will sit down with farmers today, looking to ease supply chain issues in the meat industry. The administration aims to combat the impact corporate consolidation has had on rising prices for consumers and lower earnings for farmers and ranchers. President Biden plans to leverage $1 billion to eliminate this bottleneck, along with helping slow price increases and boosting farmers' earnings. Chloe Demrovsky, president and CEO of Disaster Recovery Institute International, explains the struggles that the meat industry is facing ahead of the meeting.
Elon Musk continues on his path to make a reusable rocket with his starship project, but it's not going to be easy. If successful, the rocket would heavily reduce launch costs, in addition to further developing Starlink, Musk’s satellite-based internet service. Rick Tumlinson, founding partner at Space Fund, spoke to Cheddar News about the future of SpaceX.
Kevin Book, Managing Director at Clearview Energy Partners, breaks down the factors that impact the price of gas and what this means for renewable energy initiatives.
Kelsey Sutton, streaming editor at Adweek, talks about the offers going on during Disney+ Day and what the entertainment giant is doing to boost subscriber growth.
We are just one day away from what has been called the most influential tech event in the world. CES 2022 will officially kick off on Wednesday in Las Vegas, but the annual tech summit is being impacted by COVID-19, like so many other recent events. The Consumer Technology Association originally planned for a hybrid event to take place from January 5-8, with some in-person events and some virtual; however, a few big-name companies announced they will not be attending in-person, so the CTA decided to shorten the event by one day, with it now ending on Friday. Consumer electronics senior analyst Will Greenwald joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Stocks closed mixed Tuesday, with the Dow hitting a record close, but the tech-heavy Nasdaq remained under pressure as bond yields continue to rise. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 closed lower, just shy of a record high. Nancy Prial, Co-CEO & Senior Portfolio Manager of Essex Investment Management joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss today's close, market predictions for 2022, and more.
This year - for the first time in five years - store openings might actually top announced store closings. Reports show that we're seeing companies opening up new locations by the dozens, and by the hundreds. The need for customers to touch and feel its' products is only one factor in the equation. John Harmon, senior analyst at Coresight Research, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
