Chinese smart bike-sharing platform Mobike launches service in London

LONDON - Chinese bike-sharing company Mobike on Monday announced the launch of its popular service in London, starting in the West London borough of Ealing.

The launch comes hot on the heels of Mobike's success in launching the UK's first council and community backed bicycle sharing scheme in Manchester just a few weeks ago.

The launch is the result of a sustained collaboration between Mobike, Ealing council and other local stakeholders, the company said in a statement released Monday. "Mobike's sustainable and affordable solution will be Ealing's very first smart and dockless bike share scheme, and is designed to benefit users, local business and communities, as well as the council itself," the statement said.

Ealing will see Mobike launching with an initial 750 bikes in September, with that number expected to increase to meet the growing demand for the service.

Steve Pyer, UK General Manager for Mobike, said: "We're excited to be the first council and community-backed dockless bike-sharing scheme coming to London. Mobike is committed to help develop the bike sharing culture across the globe through its discussions and collaboration with cities -- and London is key in achieving this."

"We're committed to working closely with Ealing and other boroughs to make Mobike, and bike-sharing as a whole, a successful experience for Londoners," he added.

The company said the locals will be able to pick up and ride Mobikes around the city at any time with the innovative dockless scheme, by simply downloading the Mobike app, finding a nearby Mobike and scanning a QR code. To complete their ride, users only need to park the bike at any authorized bike parking area near their destination and manually close the lock on the bike.