May 29, 2023 #1 Local News, Forum, Information and Event Source for Venice Beach, California.

Uber’s Secret Talks to Buy Bird or Lime in Bid to be ‘Amazon for Transportation’

Ride-hailing giant looks to acquire Bird or Lime before going public.

By Sam Catanzaro

A little over a year after Bird launched their first e-scooters in Venice 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 Yo! Venice has reached out to Bird, Lime and Uber seeking confirmation about a potential deal, at the time of publishing, only Uber 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 Venice transportation scene. In addition to their ride-hailing services, they also have Jump e-scooters and red Jump bikes.

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 page 9).

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.

Related Posts

Over Half of Short-Term Rentals Advertised in LA Don’t Comply With City’s Home Sharing Ordinance

April 4, 2023

April 4, 2023

Better Neighbors LA report highlights the inadequacies of enforcement measures for short-term rentals in Los Angeles, calling for increased regulation...

Venice Beach Attempted Murder Suspect Arrested in West Virginia

December 22, 2022

December 22, 2022

Brandon Manyo Dixon arrest in West Virginia By Sam Catanzaro A man has been arrested for the attempted murder of...

The Current Gambling Situation in California

December 1, 2022

December 1, 2022

Here’s what to know about everything from online casinos to betting in the state. In the U.S., gambling is a...

Cancer Cartel Provides Financial Help To Cancer Patients

November 16, 2022

November 16, 2022 1

Cancer Cartel is helping cancer patients focus on their treatment, not the financial stress of living with a diagnosis. Learn...

100 Miles of Bus-Only Lanes Within Five Years on City Council Plans

October 17, 2022

October 17, 2022

L.A’s public transportation network is known for being slow due to traffic congestion. A new motion by L.A. City Council...

What Is the Most Effective Way to Sell a Used Car?

October 6, 2022

October 6, 2022

It’s no secret that selling a used car can be difficult. You have to find the right buyer, negotiate a...

How Do I Know What Types of Commercial Trucking Insurance Coverage I Need?

October 1, 2022

October 1, 2022

Running a small trucking company is expensive. You must comply with many rules set forth by the Federal Motor Carriers...

Best Ways To Show Your LA Baseball Love

August 10, 2022

August 10, 2022

Los Angeles is a sports lover’s paradise. In every sport except for the NHL, locals have two teams to choose...

Inspiring Others Through Body Positivity

May 13, 2022

May 13, 2022

Navy Officer Janae Carey Teams-Up with 2022 Herbalife24 Triathlon Los Angeles . Video brought to you by Pudu Pudu.

Best Gifts for Mother’s Day in 2022

March 31, 2022

March 31, 2022

Mothers are the first teachers children have in their lives. They simply teach us everything we need to know about...

LAPD Operations-West Bureau Commences Community Police Academy

March 2, 2022

March 2, 2022

Pacific Area Community Police Station hosting 11-week program Submitted by the Los Angeles Police Department On March 29, 2022, Operations-West...

LAFD Arson Unit Asks For Help Identifying Suspect In Venice Trash Fires

March 1, 2022

March 1, 2022

By Dolores Quintana After the multiple rubbish fires were set this weekend in Venice near Paloma Court there was a...

Critical Need for Blood Donations on the Westside

February 28, 2022

February 28, 2022

American Red Cross, UCLA Health continue to face a national blood emergency By Dolores Quintana  The American Red Cross continues...

Stunning Music Academy in Brentwood will celebrate its Grand Opening, Sunday, February 20th.

February 18, 2022

February 18, 2022

Introducing the second location of the highly successful Angeles Academy of Music, which has become an icon of Westwood Village.  ...

Cedars-Sinai Urges Blood Donations

January 11, 2022

January 11, 2022

As 2022 begins, Cedars-Sinai is facing a critical blood shortage and is encouraging prospective donors to give blood as soon...