Chinese bike-sharing company Ofo will remove its bikes from Australia after receiving backlash from the community.
An Ofo spokesperson reportedly told The Advertiser that the company will be leaving the Australian market over the next 60 days in what was labeled a ‘strategic decision.’
The exit comes after numerous residents vented their frustrations with the bike-share system, which was designed as an affordable, efficient and more sustainable way to maneuver around a city.
Chinese-founded bike sharing company Ofo will remove its bikes from Australia over the next 60 days after it received backlash from the public community
n Ofo spokesperson reportedly said that it will be leaving the Australian market over the next 60 days in what was labeled a ‘strategic decision’
Instead of being locked away properly when not being used, share bikes are often seen smashed, destroyed, dumped in water or hanging from trees.
Residents labelled the bikes as tripping hazards.
The Ofo spokesperson said the move would see the company focus on priority areas in their international market.
‘Ofo will therefore wind down operations in Adelaide and Sydney during the next 60 days. As part of this process Ofo will begin to remove bikes from cities and consolidate them to our warehouses,’ the spokesman said.
‘This decision does not come lightly and Ofo Australia will act responsibly in each market as it winds down operations, resolving any outstanding concerns before finalising operations.’
A spokesman from the Adelaide City Council said it has not yet been advised of Ofo’s decision.
The news comes days after the company announced that they would remove the bikes from the Middle East and Israel.
The exit comes after numerous residents vented their frustrations with the bike-share system, which was designed as an affordable, efficient and more sustainable way to maneuver around a city
Ofo claims to be one of the largest bike-share companies, with a worth of more than $1 billion.
The Ofo Australian strategy chief Scott Walker previously criticised competitors oBike and Reddy in 2017, claiming the companies threw bikes at the Australian public ‘like a milkman.’
‘That’s what we’ve seen from other operators – rushing without doing the legwork,’ Walker said.
‘There are challenges in the market caused by other operators that make our job harder.’
The Chinese-founded company was launched in Australia in October 2017.
The Chinese-founded company was launched in Australia in October 2017