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

  • CILT urges policy review for London Mayor’s transport strategy
    October 4, 2017
    The Mayor of London’s Draft Transport Strategy (DMTS) lacks realism and risks unintended consequences, according to a report from the Charted Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT). Proposals on bus priority require a fundamental review as speeds on a third of London’s bus routes have fallen more than 5% in the past year, including a reallocation of road space, construction works (with resulting congestion) and an increase in the volume of private hire and van traffic. CILT calls for bus corridors
    Read More
  • On the road with Clearview Traffic
    September 2, 2014
    Clearview Traffic Group will once again be holding a series of UK road shows this autumn, with a focus on Smarter Travel and concentrating on the theme of investigating sustainable routes to unblocking our roads.
    Read More
  • MaaS would help 33% of Londoners be less dependent on their cars
    January 17, 2018
    33% of car owners surveyed have stated that Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) would help them to depend less on their cars, while a quarter would be willing to sell their cars for unlimited access to car sharing for the next couple of years. These findings come Maas Lab’s latest report ‘Londoners attitudes towards car-ownership and Mobility as a Service: Impact assessment and the opportunities that lie ahead'. For non-car owners, 40% of participants said that they would not purchase a car at all if MaaS becomes
    Read More
  • TEST Real time traffic updates
    March 15, 2013
    Motorists in Belgium can now obtain real time traffic and travel updates at selected Total fuel stations, thanks to information supplied by mobility services provider Be-Mobile displayed on screens designed and implemented by digital communications specialist Dobit. The up to the minute graphical traffic overview displays traffic jams, road works and accidents. The screens will switch views from traffic information to in-house deals for shoppers and other relevant information, which Total hopes will increa
    Read More

Highlighted Content