As the controversy around the rules of Chicago’s dockless bike-sharing pilot intensifies, one participating company is dropping out.
Beijing-based Ofo announced Monday that it is leaving the pilot program because of the city’s new permit terms, released June 29, which said that all participating bike-share companies needed to incorporate “lock-to” technology by July 1.
The new regulations mean that any dockless bike that operates in Chicago needs to come with a U-lock or other locking mechanism that allows the bike to attach to a bike rack or other fixed structure. If they don’t, they can only deploy up to 50 of their bikes in Chicago. Meanwhile, companies that do have lock-to tech on their bikes can operate up to 350.
The regulations heavily favor Boston-based Pace and Uber Jump, two companies operating in Chicago that have built-in locking technology. But Ofo and LimeBike, a San Mateo, Calif.-based bike-sharing company, don’t, which they said has put them at an unfair disadvantage.
“It’s been a pleasure serving the far South Side over the past two months, but unfortunately the city’s restrictive regulations have made it impossible for us to continue providing our more accessible and convenient transit option,” Ofo said in a statement. “We will continue to work with city officials and hope to one day again offer affordable mobility solutions to everyone across Chicago.”
A representative for the city’s Department of Transportation did not respond to a request for comment as of press time.
The lock-to regulations, which are designed to help the city avoid bikes cluttering public spaces, have been the most contentious issue surrounding Chicago’s dockless bike-sharing pilot. However, some, like Ofo and LimeBike, have argued that the locking policy defeats the purpose of the bikes being dockless. Dockless bikes—which, unlike Chicago’s Divvy bikes, aren’t stored at docking stations when they aren’t being used—have caused problems in other cities like Paris and Amsterdam, where bikes have gotten damaged or stolen.
Chicago’s dockless bike pilot, which began May 1 and runs to November, is operating throughout 10 wards on the city’s South Side in neighborhoods like Chatham, Calumet Heights and Roseland. The first dockless bike-share program in Illinois originally launched in April when LimeBike brought its service to Rockford.
