British Cycling joins forces with Mobike to get two million people on bikes by 2020

British Cycling joins forces with Mobike to get two million people on bikes by 2020

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Published
25 September 2017

British Cycling is announcing a new collaboration with Mobike, the world’s largest smart and sustainable bike-share platform, to inspire two million people to get on a bike and create a cleaner, greener, healthier, happier Britain. To mark the collaboration, Mobike unveiled Newcastle as its third UK city.

This partnership will increase accessibility to bikes by supporting wide-ranging access to Mobike’s scheme across the UK, as it aims to be active in 15 cities and towns over the next 12 months. By bringing its iconic silver and orange bikes to the UK, Brits can enjoy a more active form of travel through an affordable and accessible bike-sharing scheme.

Riding a bike is an easy, healthy and fun activity that can fit seamlessly into people’s daily routines. As part of the collaboration, British Cycling and Mobike are engaging with local communities and businesses to encourage greater bike use. As the scheme expands, data collected from Mobike’s smart technology can also be used to incentivise and promote greater cycling behaviours among different demographics.

Currently in over 180 cities around the world with over seven million bikes, Mobike reports over 100 million users. To date, Mobike users have collectively cycled over 5.6 billion kilometers, equivalent to reducing CO2 emissions by more than 1.26 million tons, or taking 350,000 cars off the road for a year.

The collaboration with Mobike will further bolster British Cycling and its lead partner, HSBC UK’s, commitment to embed cycling in communities up and down the country, increasing access to bikes for the general public. Already, in the first year, British Cycling and HSBC UK working in partnership have inspired thousands to get on their bikes and cycle around traffic free city centres in 14 major cities across the UK at HSBC UK City Ride. 

Productive discussions are also taking place with local councils to ensure a smooth roll out of Mobike’s sustainable biking infrastructure and to develop solutions to address the unique needs of cities and towns.

Julie Harrington, chief executive of British Cycling, said: “Mobike will help us achieve our shared goal of getting people back on their bikes. One of the biggest deterrents of getting on a bike is not having one. Not only will Mobike help provide bikes to people where they are needed and encourage them to rediscover their inner cyclist, but we will also get insights from Mobike’s smart technology which will help us understand cycling behaviours.”

Mobike’s innovative and pioneering technology sets it apart from other bike sharing companies. Mobike operates the largest Internet of Things network in the world through its built-in GPS, allowing it to locate and monitor the health of each bike, ensuring consistent quality experiences for the users, and allowing it to meet consumer demand quickly and effectively. 

Mobike currently operates in Manchester and Ealing. Since launching in Manchester in June 100 days ago, Mobike has seen great success with locals, universities, businesses and institutions alike. The bikes are in high circulation with ridership peaking at just under 10 trips per bike a day, and requests by local authorities to expand the scheme within the city.

From October Mobike will also begin operating in Newcastle, where 1,000 bikes will initially be made available for people to use.

Weiwei Hu, founder and president of Mobike, says: “Mobike is more than just a bike sharing scheme. We want to help create eco-friendly cities, improve air quality, reduce traffic, and ultimately improve people’s quality of life. We are excited by what we can accomplish together. This collaboration will help us not only achieve this goal but also ensure the British people have the best cycling experience possible.”

Luke Harper, HSBC UK’s head of British Cycling partnership says: “Getting more people on bikes and developing cycling at grassroots level is what our partnership with British Cycling is all about, which will bring about numerous benefits including improvements to health and to the environment. The collaboration between British Cycling and Mobikes will provide a boost to that ambition, and we look forward to seeing people on orange and silver bikes across the country.”