Ofo ‘scales back’ bike sharing operations in US

Chinese bike sharing company Ofo is scaling back its US operations and has laid off employees from multiple departments. The move, according to a report by Quartz, will allow the company to refocus on markets in a bid to become profitable. The start-up plans to continue operating in US cities such as Seattle, San Diego and New York. According to Quartz, the company is also leaving Australia and Israel and reducing operations in the UK. The company operates yellow bicycles which riders can rent thro
July 24, 2018 Read time: 1 min
Chinese bike sharing company Ofo is scaling back its US operations and has laid off employees from multiple departments. The move, according to a report by %$Linker: 2 External <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 0 0 0 link-external Quartz false https://qz.com/1331368/bike-sharing-company-ofo-is-dramatically-scaling-back-in-north-america/?utm_source=Sailthru&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=Issue:%202018-07-20%20Smart%20Cities%20Dive%20Newsletter%20%5Bissue:16284%5D&amp;utm_term=Smart%20Cities%20Dive false false%>, will allow the company to refocus on markets in a bid to become profitable.


The start-up plans to continue operating in US cities such as Seattle, San Diego and New York.

According to Quartz, the company is also leaving Australia and Israel and reducing operations in the UK.

The company operates yellow bicycles which riders can rent through a mobile app for around £1 per minute or one hour ride, depending on the city.

Ofo was founded in 2014 by students at Beijing’s Peking University and entered the US last year with the intention of offering a transportation option that could cover first- or last-mile trips.

Urban Traffic Control

Related Content

  • CVMA: Quebec's ZEV plan may create unintended consequences
    January 2, 2018
    The Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers Association’s (CVMA’s) president Mark Nantais has stated that Quebec’s Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) regulations “may result in unintended consequences for consumers, automobile dealers, industry and ultimately, Quebec's economy,” in response to the new strategy introduced by the province’s government. The standard aims to increase the number of ZEVs in the region and to reduce greenhouse gas and other pollutant emissions. It will come into effect on the 11 January 2018.
    Read More
  • T3 webinar - Smart Traffic Management
    April 2, 2013
    The next T3 webinar takes place on Thursday18 April 18 at 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm ET, and discusses Smart Traffic Management: Lessons from New York City's Midtown in Motion (MiM) project, kicked off in summer 2011 by the New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). The purpose of the MiM project is to promote multimodal mobility in the midtown core of Manhattan, a 110 square block area or zone from 2nd to 6th Avenues and from 42nd to 57th Streets. The MiM proj
    Read More
  • Haenni shows lightweight solution for low-speed WIM
    March 21, 2018
    The WL400 is a new portable low-speed weigh-in-motion (WIM) wheel load strip sensor which is making its first appearance at Haenni’s stand in hall 10. Designed for pre-selection of vehicles, the 80mm wide sensor has an accuracy of ±2% (excluding external factors) at speeds of up to 20km/h and a capacity of 30tonnes per axle.
    Read More
  • Flir webinar – how to detect bicycles in mixed traffic
    May 27, 2015
    Flir Traficon Academy’s latest webinar, How to Detect and Count Bicycles in Mixed Traffic, takes place on 28 May at 0730 CEST, 1330 CEST and 1830 CEST. The webinar will demonstrate the power of thermal imaging technology in making a distinction between cycles and other vehicles and explains in detail the functions and features of the detector.
    Read More

Highlighted Content