One of NYC’s dockless bike share partners pulls out of pilot program

China-based dockless bike share company ofo has announced that the company has dropped its plans to head to New York City to participate the Department of Transportation’s dockless pilot, reports the New York Post.

The company was one of five that were selected to provide dockless bikes to the city. Ofo was set to bring 200 dockless bikes to the Bronx sometime this month, however, the company announced on Thursday that it would not be coming to the city. “The company wants to focus on the most mature and promising markets,” said ofo France general manager Laurent Kennel in a statement to Tech Crunch.

The city seems unfazed by the unexpected announcement.

“Our Citywide dockless pilot, which we are proud to note opened to solid reviews in the Rockaways last week, has been structured so that we could nimbly make adjustments as we carefully evaluate the major players in an industry that has proven volatile to date,” said a spokesperson for the city’s Department of Transportation. “We will work with our other dockless operators to ensure that our Bronx pilot is unaffected by ofo’s withdrawal.”

Other operators for the pilot include Motivate, Citi Bike’s parent company (now owned by Lyft); Pace, which rolled out in Rochester; and Uber-owned Jump; and Lime, which has bikes stationed in Yonkers and White Plains.

The dockless systems work by using an app find nearby wheels and to unlock the ride. After riding, users park the bike in a designated spot, and are charged a fee for the amount of time you spent on the bike.

• Dockless bikeshare operator pulls out of NYC before it starts [New York Post]
• NYC’s dockless bike share operators include Jump, Lime [Curbed]
• NYC’s dockless bike share pilot rolls out in the Rockaways [Curbed]