Chinese bike sharing company Mobike expands into Europe with UK city launches
Chinese bike sharing company Mobike is set to launch in the UK this month as it kicks off its European expansion.
China's bike sharing company Mobike has launched in the UK
The Tencent-backed company will roll out its distinctive orange bikes in Manchester and Salford from the end of the month. The move is part of an overseas expansion from the Tencent-backed company, which aims to expand its business into 100 cities globally before the end of the year.
Mobike, which launched in Shanghai in 2016, has quickly grown across China and launched its service in Singapore in March.
It operates more than 5m smart bikes, which consumers can access via GPS enabled smartphone apps; users can scan the QR code on the bike, pay for it digitally and when they are finished leave the bike wherever they want.
The company has said it has “strong ambitions” for Europe, and plans to launch into “a series of European cities over the next few months”.
Steve Pyer, general manager of Mobike UK, said: “We are already in talks with a number of other cities around Europe, and are sure the successful pilot will be the first of many partnerships, allowing us to make cycling the most convenient and affordable choice for those in cities all around Europe.”
The bike-sharing market is booming in China, with a large number of competitors vying for market dominance. Alongside Mobike’s bright orange coloured bicycles, are Ofo’s bright yellow bikes, Bluegogo’s blue bicycles, among a host of others.
Mobike remains one of the dominant players in the China market, alongside Ofo, and both companies are focused on overseas expansion to continue to drive growth.