Ofo rolls out bike-sharing service in Hong Kong
Chinese bike-sharing giant Ofo said it has begun operations in Hong Kong, with Tuen Mun in the New Territories as its first location.
Unlocking Ofo bikes requires the company's mobile app. Customers can enjoy a ride after paying a HK$99 deposit. Rental charge is HK$3 per half hour, the Hong Kong Economic Journal reports.
Ofo, founded in 2014, has more than 200 million users globally. The number of daily users peaks at 32 million.
In July, the company picked up series E funding of US$700 million (HK$5.46 billion) led by Alibaba, Hony Capital, CITIC Private Equity and current investor Didi, the highest record of funding of its kind.
The company operates more than 6.4 million shared bicycles in more than 120 cities, according to mainland media reports.
Ofo has expanded into the United Kingdom, the United States and Singapore and is planning to enter more than 200 cities in countries including Japan, Spain, France and Germany with 20 million shared bicycles by the end of the year.
Ketch'Up Bike launches crowdfunding
Bike-sharing started to sweep Hong Kong last year.
GoBee.Bike, which offers its bikes mainly in Sha Tin, Tai Po and Ma On Shan, is the first operator in Hong Kong.
In August, GoBee.Bike secured an initial round of funding led by venture capital firm Grishin Robotics and funded by Alibaba Hong Kong Entrepreneurs Fund, raising over US$9 million.
Other local bike-sharing operators include Hoba Bike, LocoBike and oBike.
Ketch'Up Bike, which will begin operations this month, has launched a crowdfunding effort to raise funds. The company aims to encourage investors to become bike owners and offer the shared bikes for a rental service. It has more than 300 bike owners.
To combat problems such as traffic congestion due to parking, Ketch'Up Bike developed a Bluetooth parking pole.
Rental customers who dock their bicycles within a designated range of five meters can receive a bonus. The first phase of the scheme has been implemented in Sha Tin and Kwun Tong.
This article appeared in the Hong Kong Economic Journal on Dec. 6
Translation by Jonathan Chong
– Contact us at [email protected]
JC/RA
-
New round of jab bookings
In the latest round of jab arrangement, citizens in the priority groups can make online bookings to receive the COVID-19 vaccine from March 3, the Government said Monday. They can arrange to receive
-
Financial chief earmarks HK$934 million to boost tourism
Apart from handing out HK$5,000 spending e-coupons to Hongkongers to stimulate local spending, the revival of tourism, also hard hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, is another key issue financial chief
-
When are we going to get our HK$5,000 e-vouchers?
Among the economic stimulus measures financial chief Paul Chan revealed yesterday in the 2021-22 budget, the disbursement of HK$5,000 spending e-vouchers is probably what the public is most
-
Carrie Lam is Hong Kong’s biggest failure, not RTHK Michael Chugani
Normally I would focus on Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po's budget whichhe unveiled yesterday. Not this year, except to say he tried his best with an austerity budget that still offered HK$5,000
-
Getting a jab: One step closer to Covid travel visa Ben Kwok
Whether Hong Kong people would take the vaccine shot from Sinovac or BioNTech is less of a question than when they can fly to where they want with the vaccine passport. In the first place, who wants
