Chinese company Mobike will be withdrawing its fleet of dockless bicycles from Manchester, following ongoing abuse and loses.
The smart bike-sharing company, which operates in 200 cities, has announced its plan to leave the English city, making it the first to lose the company's dockless bikes.
In a press release titled "Goodbyes are never easy", Mobike apologised to its bike-users in Manchester and sited "increased bike losses due to theft and vandalism in the city" as its reason for suspending service in the city. The company will be refunding deposits to all Manchester users.
Manchester was first European city to have Mobikes
Mobike has more than nine million bikes on the streets world-wide. Manchester became the first European city to host the Chinese-developed dockless city bikes, when they were introduced in July 2017. The company will continue operating in the English cities of London, Newcastle, Oxford and Cambridge, as well as across Europe in cities including Paris, Berlin, Madrid and Milan.
Image courtesy of Mobike
Over the past 18 months, Mobikes in Manchester have been thrown in canals, set on fire, hidden in gardens and dumped on pavements. Shortly after the launch, a group of young people in east Manchester were filmed throwing rocks at a Mobike in an attempt to destroy it.
This persistent vandalism has led Mobike to withdraw from the city.
"As a private company, we have a duty to ensure our revenues cover our costs since unlike...