Jump to the scrapyard; Thousands of Uber bikes crushed just weeks after Lime takeover

Footage has emerged across social media showing thousands of Uber Jump bikes being shipped off to the scrapyard for crushing.

The news, confirmed by a number of videos on Twitter, one showing the bright red two-wheelers being grabbed and crushed to pieces, comes just weeks after Uber offloaded their ‘Jump’ bikes to competitor, Lime.

As first reported by The Verge, Uber confirmed in a statement that it was “recycling” many of Jump’s older bikes and scooters after transferring “tens of thousands” of the newer models to Lime.

But could the bikes have served a better purpose? Many bike enthusiasts have suggested the bikes could have been donated to those most in need of transportation or to the younger generation.

Cris Moffitt, an entrepreneur and 'lifestyle design tinkerer' posted the footage after it was allegedly sent to him by a close friend who shot the recording.

Thousands upon thousands of Jump bikes can be seen lined up ready to be scrapped, sparking a call from Cris to have the bikes repainted and donated.

His calls were unsuccessful as more footage emerged, this time showing the bikes being crushed by the truck-load.

The footage caused outrage and disappointment for some members of the public, with one saying: "Ride sharing is just a fad. The company is destroying these bikes rather than selling or giving it away is because they don't have to deal with any lawsuit if something happens. Also probably more profitable in the scrapyard."

Another wrote: "I can't believe this is really happening. There is no reason why @JUMPbyUber is scrapping bikes instead of looking forward to donate them or make better use of them."

It's still not clear whether the call was made by Uber or Lime to have the bikes scrapped.

According to Lime, during the announcement they were acquiring Uber Jump, they were only taking on the latest models of Jump bikes, meaning Uber would be left with a number of the older models to dispose of.

For now though, the big question is; could the lifespan of these bikes have been extended in a more economical or generous way?

Image credit: Twitter-@CrisMoffitt