Chinese bike share firm rolls out Prague service

Ofo is a Chinese bicycle sharing company based in Beijing; it was founded in 2014. As of 2017, the company operates over 10 million yellow-colored bicycles in over 250 cities and 20 countries. The ofo system uses a Smartphone app to unlock bikes, and charges per hourly rate for use.  In the year 2017, the company was already valued at $3 billion with over 62.7 million monthly active users.

In its constant quest for expansion, the Chinese bike-sharing company Ofo will start operating in Prague this year. It is expected that around one thousand bikes will also be made available for rent in the wider city center as of spring 2018. 

In mid-October of 2017,  the company launched its first test operation of its services in the district of Prague 7, and about  300 yellow bikes were made available free of charge which lasted up till the end of December. During this test operation, a massive turnaround was recorded as people took more than 25,000 rides. No doubt, this was evidence that people are interested in the service.

Kacper Winiarczyk, Ofo’s general manager of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), told newsmen that at the end of February, after the winter break, they want to put our service in operation,".According to him, the company plans to install over one thousand bikes in the city through 2018. And at the moment, they are trying to identify the suitable localities for their operation.Though the bikes will not be available in the city's hilly district and on the outskirts, as they will also avoid the historical center, where cyclists are often banned due to the high rates of tourist activities.
Ofo plans to operate at affordable rates as it will be charging around 20 crowns an hour for their bikes, less than their Czech rival Rekola, which offers their services for about 24 crowns an hour. Also, to have access to Ofo bike services, customers are required to download a mobile app which displays where the nearest bikes are available. The app also enables the customer to pay for the service. One of the features of Ofo bike is that it is equipped with a special lock which closes once a customer signs out from the service. 

The Ofo bike is also equipped with GPS navigation devices, which can track it in case it is stolen, and in their quest for continuous expansion, the ofo company also plans to expand its services to other Central and Eastern Europe countries soon.