As the bike-rental craze cools down, so do Chinese firms’ ambitious globalization plans.
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Posted inOn the Cusp
As bike rentals cool, ofo chooses to stand alone
China’s bike rental industry has experienced a roller coaster over the past 3 years. At its height, there were nearly 80 bike rental startups in the market, brightening the streets with a rainbow of bikes. But in the fast-paced tech world, trends come and go quickly. Within a year, over 20 bike startups failed, including […]
Posted inTurf Wars
Ofo’s “darkest hour” becomes gloomier as Didi acquisition rumors swirl again
Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing is reportedly closing an acquisition deal of ofo, the last remaining major independent player in China’s bike-rental industry, local media reported citing people familiar with the matter. The source disclosed that Didi already sent due diligence team to ofo over the past two to three weeks. The two parties are […]
Posted inTurf Wars
Some ofo users can’t unlock bikes from Didi app
Amid rumors of ofo’s acquisition by Didi Chuxing, users are encountering errors when attempting to rent the former’s bicycles through the ride-hailing giant’s app. According to the local media, an error is displayed within the app when scanning an ofo bicycle’s QR code. The message says that the problem has been partially repaired, but Didi cannot resolve […]
Posted inTurf Wars
After Australia, ofo exits Germany amid push into priority markets
Germany has become the latest market from which Chinese bike-sharing firm ofo will make an exit. The company, which has been plagued by rumors of a cash crunch over the past few months, has adjusted its overseas operations in line with its plans to focus on priority markets. ofo has begun scaling back its international operations […]
Posted inTurf Wars
Bike rental graveyard found in Chengdu
Hundreds of unlocked ofo rental bicycles have been found buried under construction waste in Chengdu. The bikes were in miserable conditions with deformed tires, broken chains, and damaged seats, but were fairly new, produced as early as March this year. The incident was reported to Chengdu Wuhou Police and the police is investigating, Chinese media The […]
