Bike sharing has become a popular way to get around in many major cities, including Fort Worth and Dallas. Several companies have added a new twist with no docking stations, including Ofo Bike Sharing, which bills itself as the original and largest program of its kind in the world.
While the lack of docking stations this has been debated as both a positive and negative by many, there is no debating the convenience the service offers.
Ofo was founded in 2014 by five members of the Peking University cycling club. It was named ofo because the letters together resemble a person on a bicycle. It expanded to the United States in August 2017, starting in Seattle. In March, Reuters reported that the bike-sharing firm raised $866 million in new funding, let by Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.
Locally, Ofo operates in Dallas, Plano and Arlington. Since beginning service in Dallas in early November, Ofo users have ridden more than 100,000 miles, the company says.
Customers use the company’s mobile app on their smartphones to locate nearby bicycles. Each bike has a QR code on the frame, which the customer scans to unlock the bike.
After customers are finished, they can leave the bike anywhere and lock it. That’s where the complaints arise. People say the bikes clutter sidewalks, block pedestrian and handicapped access, and cannot be moved until someone else comes along to unlock and use them.
The Dallas City Council has looked at the problem and is likely going to return to discussions soon.
Taylor Bennett, Ofo’s U.S.-based head of communications, does not shy away from the controversy, but stresses that his company is doing all it can to rectify the problem. And he said there is still much more positive the bikes have to offer as he answered a few questions from the Fort Worth Business Press:
What is Ofo doing to prevent its bikes from cluttering sidewalks and walkways?
Addressing the issue of bike clutter is an exercise in effective operations, and we’re proud that our local staff and operational capabilities allow Ofo to be part of the solution, by efficiently managing the bikes and acting immediately when notified. Just like every city we serve, Ofo has a professionally trained local operations team in the Dallas area that oversees the bike fleets, ensuring they’re properly parked, clear of right of ways, and in safe, working condition.
Education is a big piece of it as well. We know how important it is to work with local communities to educate them on this new model, how it works, best practices for parking, and the benefits to cities and riders.
Our team is trained to deploy and re-balance bikes on sidewalks that are large enough to accommodate bikes, not block ramps, and stay clear of entrances to buildings and landscaped areas. We encourage riders to leave bikes where the city deems it is legally permitted to park bikes, and we’re routinely educating users via the app and direct communications.
Why would a rider choose ofo bike sharing over the ones with docking stations in cities such as Fort Worth?
Ofo is more affordable, more convenient, and offers riders the ability to park their bikes anywhere they can legally park a bike without being restricted to docking stations, all at no cost to the city. Ofo has a local operations team on the ground in every city where we operate, including Dallas, and we’ve committed to 24-hour-a-day customer service.
Is there a push to bring ofo to Fort Worth?
We are working with cities across DFW to educate them about Ofo, its benefits and steps to take to offer
Ofo in their communities. As demand for bike share continues to grow, we hope to continue to expand to serve additional communities in North Texas.
What growth has the company shown?
Ofo is now in 21 countries in more than 250 cities and is quickly becoming the clear leader in dockless bike sharing in the United States, which has already jumped to the third biggest market by total miles, with 275,000 miles ridden. Ofo has more than 10 million bikes on the road worldwide with more than 32 million daily rides.
Does Ofo cover areas that aren’t already covered by bike sharing?
Yes, that’s what makes it so much more convenient and a better option for many cities. In addition, Ofo is helping to solve the last-mile problem. For many who use public transportation, a gap exists between the bus or rail stop and their final destination. In the past, passengers were forced to walk that extra distance, sometimes a mile or more because there was no other option. Ofo analyzed its data to see if bike share is helping close this gap and found that nearly 70 percent of Ofo trips start or end near a transit stop (light rail or bus) in Dallas.
What’s the cost for using ofo? Is there a time limit or distance limit?
The cost is $1 per hour with no time or distance limit. In fact, one adventurous rider in Dallas rode 48 miles in a single trip.
Is it just for adults, or can they bring children along?
Riders must be 18-plus, but we’re always innovating and exploring new products to enhance the experience and make biking with Ofo available to families and children.
What is ofo doing to be part of the communities where it provides service?
Ofo is committed to the communities we serve and is dedicated to being a great community partner. Ofo has donated 100 bikes to the Moorland Family YMCA, partnered with the JJ Barea Foundation to donate 600 bikes to the victims of Hurricane Maria, and recently announced a partnership with Paul Quinn College to provide bikes on campus for students to use for free during the spring semester.