Another dockless bike share company hit the streets in Atlanta on Wednesday.
Ofo, founded in China in 2014, secured a business license with the city on Tuesday and launched in Midtown, Little Five Points, Inman Park and the Old Fourth Ward on Wednesday.
Company representatives said pricing will be $1 to start a ride and an additional $1 for every half hour ridden. Ofo will also be testing out a new drop-off model in Atlanta where the company is partnering with local businesses. Users will be required to start a trip and end a trip on the private property of one of those designated businesses.
"We are excited to come to Atlanta, where we have heard clamors from businesses and people in all corners of the city for dockless mobility solutions," Ofo's Atlanta general manager, Matt Trevino, said in a statement. "We want to become a part of the Atlanta community and help build a more equitable transportation system and that's why we have been working hard to build deep partnerships with the local business from which we will deploy and rebalance our bikes."
When the company first started operations in the United States, it was valued at more than $2 billion and currently has 10 million bicycles on the road globally.
Ofo's bikes are station-free. "You can park your Ofo bicycle anywhere outside of the pedestrian right of way that complies with local laws and does not obstruct traffic," according to the company website.
The company nows faces competition from an increasing pool of shared transit options and other dockless startups.
Relay Bike Share, owned by CycleHop, LLC., currently operates 500 smart bikes and 70 stations across the city. CycleHop has bikes in 15 cities, compared to Ofo's 170 cities globally. Lime, another dockless bike share company, has also applied for a permit in Atlanta.
Bird and Muving recently launched their dockless electric scooter and moped operations in the city.
Atlanta is still considering how to regulate shareable, dockless mobility devices but has drafted an ordinance for handling them.
