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

  • Teleste adds more smart bus stops to Finnish 5G project
    April 26, 2019
    Teleste is deploying two additional Connected Zone bus stops to improve safety and security at the Nokia Bell Labels LuxTurrim5G project in Espoo, Finland. The LuxTurrim5G project seeks to develop and demonstrate a fast 5G network based on smart light poles with integrated antennas, base stations, sensors, screens and other devices. Teleste says its smart bus stop uses video surveillance and 5G to help security personnel respond to incidents. The project is expected to be extended in the summer to inclu
    Read More
  • Official ITS Training sessions available to ITS America Annual Meeting attendees
    March 28, 2013
    In partnership with the US DOT/FHWA, ITS America will provide a new opportunity for public and private sector ITS and transportation professionals to attend official training courses conducted by US DOT instructors. This is an excellent opportunity for anyone wanting to expand their knowledge base, grow professionally and take back real-world information that can help their ITS systems operate more efficiently.
    Read More
  • Conduent to deliver fare collection system to Rotterdam
    November 2, 2018
    Conduent Transportation will deliver 1,700 smartcard ticket validators to Dutch transport company RET in Spring 2019. The technology will be used by commuters on buses and trams in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Conduent says its VPE 430 validators, integrated with software from IT services provider Sigmax, will allow riders to pay via a Dutch OV Chipkaart public transport payment card as well as bank cards and smartphones with barcodes or near-field communication. In September, the company extended its c
    Read More
  • ITS Netherlands and Canada announce MoU
    March 26, 2014
    ITS Netherlands and ITS Canada signed an MoU at the show yesterday, aiming to learn from each other’s experiences in the sector. “Our relationship goes way back,” said the organisation’s president, Michael de Santis, “but we thought it was an opportune time here at Intertraffic to formalise this.”
    Read More

Highlighted Content