- World’s largest share bike company is set to expand into Australia from China
- Billion-dollar Chinese company Ofo is about to launch in Sydney and Melbourne
- Share bike industry is controversial as the bikes are left in waterways and parks
- Ofo Australian boss promises not to be ‘throwing the bikes out like a milkman’
The world’s largest share bike company is set to expand into Australia from China.
Billion-dollar Chinese company Ofo is about to launch in Sydney and Melbourne and plans to take its operations across the country, according to The Australian.
Their entry into the market comes as the industry is embroiled in controversy in Australia, where piles of the bikes are regularly dumped in waterways and parks.
Ofo’s entry into the market comes as the industry is embroiled in controversy in Australia, where piles of the bikes are regularly dumped in waterways and parks
Ofo Australian strategy chief Scott Walker criticised competitors oBike and Reddy Go for tarnishing the industry by introducing their product too quickly.
‘We wouldn’t be throwing them out like a milkman,’ he said.
‘That’s what we’ve seen from other operators – rushing without doing the legwork.
‘There are challenges in the market caused by other operators that make our job harder.’
The company is worth more than $1 billion and operates 10 million bikes across 180 cities worldwide.
It claims to have 50 per cent of the global market share.
Ofo will launch in Sydney and Melbourne in the next two weeks after a test run in Adelaide.
The share bike industry has been criticised for allowing its products to end up littered in waterways and parks.
Dozens of them ended up stacked in a huge pile at Waverley Oval near Bondi Beach earlier in October.
Hundreds of people took to social media to share their frustration at the growing trend.
The share bike industry has been criticised for allowing its products to end up littered in waterways
Instead of being dumped in rogue places the bikes are meant to be left where other riders can easily access them.
People can hire the bikes for a set amount of time through a mobile app.
In an attempt to crack down on the littering of share bikes a Sydney council has warned they will issue fines to companies if their products are dumped in public places.