Bye-bye Ofo

[Bruce K]

The Chinese company that has been providing the yellow dockless bike-share systems is pulling up stakes here in MA. It currently serves 4 cities.

The news report stated they may be withdrawing completely from the US market.

BK

[Ozz]

The Chinese company that has been providing the yellow dockless bike-share systems is pulling up stakes here in MA. It currently serves 4 cities.

The news report stated they may be withdrawing completely from the US market.

BK

Are they taking their bikes or just leaving them where they are?

[SlowPokePete]

Same in White Plains, NY...

SPP

[Bruce K]

I believe they are taking the bikes

BK

[false_Aest]

Off to the pile of rusting bicycles in the sky.


Rate of failure in the shared-bike market seems high -- I can remember hearing about a few companies that have tried to enter and then go belly-up ---- the company that made Chicago's Divvy's comes to mind.

The thing is, in China, everyone in the industry knows its a bubble and designed to pop. They MFGs, the CEOs, etc. They just want their piece before its gone.

[gemship]

I believe they are taking the bikes

BK

I saw this on the local news this morning. I dunno, it's a good thing but when they made mention of the bikes being left here and there in folks way. Who's to say they don't get thrown in a river? I watched this odd fact video on Youtube describing some canal dug around Paris long ago, a commission by Napolean. So when they drained the canal to clean out the litter they found among other things ride share bikes. I maybe confusing that with this latest Boston happening but I think the local news may have mentioned a few bikes found in the Charles River. To that I unfortunately must say it was a nice idea and good riddens.

[fiamme red]

I've seen forlorn Lime bikes scattered all around Yonkers, some with seats missing. I don't understand how dockless bike share is going to work in the long run.

[Louis]

Off to the pile of rusting bicycles in the sky.

In case anyone missed it:

https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2018/03/bike-share-oversupply-in-china-huge-piles-of-abandoned-and-broken-bicycles/556268/

https://cdn.theatlantic.com/assets/media/img/photo/2018/03/bikes/b14_809599572/main_900.jpg?1521743422

[Devotion]

Anybody hear/read anything their plans for Los Angeles?

[Bruce K]

Boston was never an Ofo market. When they listed the 4 cities I was surprised anyone thought they would be successful in those markets.

Officially it is the blue bikes (docked) sponsored by Blue Cross. The green bikes (dockless) tried to move in but we’re legally challenged by the city.

Besides the financial agreement with blue there was the issue of bikes being left everywhere.

Same issue with the dockless scooters.

BK

[MrDangerPants]

Good riddance. Ofo was offered in Malden (where my office is located) along with LimeBike last year, though have been noticeably absent this year. LimeBike is still in Malden and I'm curious if they're not too far behind in exiting the city of my birth.

[weisan]

Been reading reports over the last few months about bike share companies pulling out of major cities...before that, they were talking about rampant problems with bikes being stolen, vandalized, abandoned, left in places that causes hazards, get thrown into drains causing blockage, even thrown out of high rise apartments potentially causing serious injuries....on and on.

Destructive, inconsiderate, illegal human behaviors.

Anyone have any insight or a working theory as to why this is happening?

[charliedid]

Are they taking their bikes or just leaving them where they are?

:)

[likebikes]

Destructive, inconsiderate, illegal human behaviors.

Anyone have any insight or a working theory as to why this is happening?

it's just inherent human behavior, tragedy of the commons

[echappist]

Been reading reports over the last few months about bike share companies pulling out of major cities...before that, they were talking about rampant problems with bikes being stolen, vandalized, abandoned, left in places that causes hazards, get thrown into drains causing blockage, even thrown out of high rise apartments potentially causing serious injuries....on and on.

Destructive, inconsiderate, illegal human behaviors.

Anyone have any insight or a working theory as to why this is happening?

it's just the invisible hand hard at work

and they are out of DC as well

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dr-gridlock/wp/2018/07/24/dockless-bike-share-company-ofo-is-the-first-to-pull-out-of-d-c/?utm_term=.19cd557ccbe8

[false_Aest]

Anybody hear/read anything their plans for Los Angeles?

I was hearing some industry chatter about it (there are 3 bike brand HQs in the immediate LA area: Linus, Pure, Aventon) but as soon as Bird (e-scooters) hit the streets bike-related stuff seemed to be put on hold.

[ntkt10]

OFO is out of DC too. Article (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dr-gridlock/wp/2018/07/24/dockless-bike-share-company-ofo-is-the-first-to-pull-out-of-d-c/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.d36aa613e5ba).

[fiamme red]

Ofo has also pulled out of Camden, NJ. I think it's pulled out of all US cities.

[Bruce K]

That was the follow up in the news here (and OP)

Out of US market

BK

[weisan]

What I am saying is...this is a global issue. Bike share companies are facing challenges in many places other than US. Why?

[fiamme red]

https://ny.curbed.com/2018/7/24/17608388/dockless-bike-share-new-york-jump-pedal-assist

Ofo was due to bring 200 bikes to the Bronx, and to close some of that gap, the other Bronx operator, Jump (which is owned by Uber), announced that it will up its footprint with 200 dockless, pedal-assist bikes in the borough. Previously, the company was going to roll out 100 bikes as part of the pilot. Jump founder and CEO Ryan Rzepecki said that response to its bikes has been “phenomenally positive” in the Bronx, and that the bikes can “reduce traffic congestion, connect residents to public transportation, and make biking an even more viable and fun transit option in the borough.”

[Johnnysmooth]

What I am saying is...this is a global issue. Bike share companies are facing challenges in many places other than US. Why?

Really? Have you been to China?
Just returned after 3wks there and app-based ride sharing bikes are everywhere and in very wide, frequent use. There are at least a half dozen companies providing such and am saddened to hear that Ofo is pulling out of the US mkt.

The use of such bikes has also led to some creative designs such as no-flat tires, and single chain/seat stays and single fork blade for easy wheel repair.

The blues bikes we have in Boston are not nearly as convenient as you have to find a parking stand to put them in (BTW, such parking station based bikes in China are very rarely used - all bikes have layers of dust).

I always liked the idea of grabbing a bike, easily, conveniently and parking once I get to destination and not some parking stand.

Based on previous comments, guess I'm an outlier

[schwa86]

FWIW this am a sizeable number of lime bikes appeared in my neighborhood just to the west of Boston. So it's sort of interesting that at the same time one company is pulling out another is aggressively moving in.

[weisan]

Saw these at my co-op this afternoon, apparently they are "donating" them away.

http://alicehui.com/bike/misc/IMG_8538.jpg

http://alicehui.com/bike/misc/IMG_8539.jpg

http://alicehui.com/bike/misc/IMG_8540.jpg

[Hellgate]

Good riddance...

[Avispa]

Off to the pile of rusting bicycles in the sky.


About time these bikes start getting out of the streets! At least the Citi (Citibank) bikes had to be returned to docks and serve a real purpose... that is to have a tourist or casual use take a bike for a spin.

But if these other brands were trying to make more people ride bikes for commuting or other "serious" use, especially in the USA, they were dreaming of something very hard to achieve...

[fiamme red]

JUMP not working well in NYC so far, according to the Post:

https://nypost.com/2018/08/06/dockless-bikes-are-already-clogging-nyc-sidewalks/

Uber subsidiary JUMP placed 100 of its “pedal-assist” dockless bikes near Fordham University and in the central Bronx on July 28 — and on at least one day last week only eight of them were anywhere to be found in the service area.

Of those, only two were even in rideable condition. The rest were either not charged up or already broken. Five of them were piled together on a sidewalk, all flashing the message, “Bike in repair, sorry for the inconvenience.”

[mj_michigan]

My impression is that shared bikes work well in Europe, in particular around large universities. One can take a bike from a dock with a student ID card, or maybe a credit card, and return it to another one.

To make the shared bikes work, they have to be convenient and/or cool - the more convenient the less cool and vice versa. When you flood the streets with them, the coolness factor definitively goes into reverse, they become nuisance, and anyone using them is seen contributing to the problem.

[weisan]

hmmm...interesting. thanks for offering your viewpoint, Michigan pal.

[campy man]

In my area Ofo has been replaced with Lime riderless bikes ... who needs handlebars :eek:

[kevinvc]

Are they taking their bikes or just leaving them where they are?

Well, in Dallas they apparently dumped the majority of them at a recycling center. Yay sustainability.

Article here (https://www.dallasnews.com/news/transportation/2018/08/06/just-terrible-mayor-says-hundreds-ofo-bikes-piled-dallas-recycling-plant)

https://dallasnews.imgix.net/1533582990-NMC_06OFObikes.jpg?auto=format&q=50&or=0&w=600

[jruhlen1980]

Interesting article in Cyclingtips on the fallout from the failure of oBike, a dockless bike share in Australia: https://cyclingtips.com/2018/08/lessons-learned-from-the-real-story-of-obike-or-why-we-cant-have-nice-things/

tl;dr: Dockless bike share was never intended to work, it was intended to raise venture capital in a hurry. Sort of a bike ponzi scheme.

[pasadena]

I read that last night and it's really interesting to peel back all the hype and press and see what they were really doing.Just a scam, happened to be with bicycles.

Interesting article in Cyclingtips on the fallout from the failure of oBike, a dockless bike share in Australia: https://cyclingtips.com/2018/08/lessons-learned-from-the-real-story-of-obike-or-why-we-cant-have-nice-things/

tl;dr: Dockless bike share was never intended to work, it was intended to raise venture capital in a hurry. Sort of a bike ponzi scheme.

[Avispa]

Well, in Dallas they apparently dumped the majority of them at a recycling center. Yay sustainability.

Article here (https://www.dallasnews.com/news/transportation/2018/08/06/just-terrible-mayor-says-hundreds-ofo-bikes-piled-dallas-recycling-plant)

https://dallasnews.imgix.net/1533582990-NMC_06OFObikes.jpg?auto=format&q=50&or=0&w=600

And in Europe, this:
https://www.bicycleretailer.com/international/2018/07/18/european-commission-imposes-provisional-anti-dumping-duties-chinese-e-bike

[MikeD]

And in Europe, this:

https://www.bicycleretailer.com/international/2018/07/18/european-commission-imposes-provisional-anti-dumping-duties-chinese-e-bike


I like this part of that article:

Many European e-bike brands have been working quickly in recent months to move their e-bike assembly out of China to other Asian countries or to Europe. Giant Manufacturing, for example, announced last week that it was investing in increased manufacturing and distribution facilities in Northern Hungary. Companies like the Czech Republic's Apache Bicycles also are offering their European e-bike assembly services to other brands.