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Dockless bike share firms Ofo and Urbo will launch in the London borough of Redbridge.
This is the first time two dockless providers have been selected in a competitive process by a UK council.
Ofo will expand to Redbridge on 2nd March with a fleet of 125 bikes joining the 1,000 it already has in London. Urbo will also roll out a fleet of 125 bikes.
Redbridge will be the fourth local authority in London where Ofo has launched, and follows launches in Cambridge, Oxford, Norwich and Sheffield.
All ofo bikes in Redbridge will be free to hire for the first two weeks, and Ofo collects no deposit when registering new users.
Ofo’s general manage Joseph Seal-Driver said: “We’re delighted that Ofo has been selected to run a bike-sharing scheme in Redbridge. Our bikes have proven hugely successful across London and in other UK cities, and it’s particularly positive to be bringing Redbridge’s residents their first cycle hire scheme. This will give people more options for clean, green travel.
“We will be working collaboratively with Urbo and the council to ensure the residents receive the best possible service. Competition is healthy and ultimately benefits the public.”
Redbridge councillor John Howard (pictured above, left) said: “The partnership with Ofo and Urbo is a really exciting opportunity to make the borough greener, providing an option for sustainable travel."
An agreement with Redbridge Council will see Urbo services split equally with Ofo, with the number of bikes from each service set to rise in parallel as the schemes increase in popularity.
Urbo co-founder Tom McGovern said: “We are hugely excited to announce our fourth bike sharing agreement in less than six months. Our first was in neighbouring borough Waltham Forest, and this demonstrates a massive step towards achieving seamless, affordable and healthy transport public transport across the city.”
