If a buyout moved forward, it'd represent a coup for Lyft. Jump was only available in San Francisco when Uber stepped in this April, but Motivate has exclusive deals in NYC, San Francisco and Boston as well as a preferential arrangements in Chicago and Washington, DC. That could help Lyft quickly integrate bikes into its transportation network -- as in Baltimore, you could start and stop journeys at bike docks to both save money and the environment. Uber isn't necessarily shut out, but it'd have to develop its own services in areas where Lyft would have a head start.

However this might shake out, it would reflect an increasing shift away from purely car-based services among ridesharing companies. They're diversifying in hopes of both cornering additional markets and protecting themselves in the event cars fall out of favor.