BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
Dockless bike sharing company oBike will launch into Portugal in partnership with the Impact HUB as the company’s Global Business Partner.
The Impact HUB will run oBike’s operations in Lisbon under the Global Business Partnership Programme, bringing affordable cycling to the capital and promoting sustainable urban mobility in the city.
Since its entrance into the market in January 2017, oBike now operates in 25 countries of which 12 in Europe. Lisbon will be one of the 25 cities within Europe where oBike has its dockless solution on offer and is one of the first to showcase oBike’s new business model GBPP.
Under the GBPP, the Impact HUB will have full ownership of running the logistics and operations of the oBikes that will be put out on the streets, whilst oBike provides the bikes, payment systems, APP and further well-developed CRM systems and tech support.
oBike co-Founder and CMO Edward Chen said: “In December last year we transitioned as a business to a more localised approach for our operations, looking to operate through partnerships in cities and towns throughout the world.
“The GBPP with the Impact HUB in Lisbon is a beautiful example of how oBike works together with organisations that have strong local expertise and that share oBike’s mission of bringing a more affordable, sustainable and flexible mode of transport to cities.”
Chen continued: “Lisbon is one of the most innovative and forward-thinking cities in Europe and the Impact HUB is at the forefront of driving this. We are thrilled to work together with the Impact HUB to bring our technology savvy dock-less cycling model to the city. It is through working together with local partners that we can maximise the impact of sustainable transport solutions and reduce the use of motorized vehicles in these urban environments.”
