With UK launch, China’s Mobike makes first foray outside Asia

Photo credit: Mobike.

Mobike is set to launch in Manchester, UK, marking its first expansion outside of Asia, the startup said today.

It’s a significant milestone for the Chinese company, which has raised US$325 million in disclosed funding from investors including Tencent, Foxconn, and Sequoia Capital. The bike-share service – which claims to be the world’s largest – allows users to rent bicycles via its mobile app. Each of Mobike’s custom bikes features a QR code that users scan with their smartphone.

Mobike’s system will go live in Manchester and neighboring Salford on June 29, with an initial 1,000 cycles available.

The UK launch represents Mobike’s first move outside Asia and the service’s 100th location overall. Mobike made its first expansion outside of China in Singapore back in March. Japan may also be in its sights.

There are currently few large-scale bike-sharing services in the United Kingdom. Hourbike operates schemes in several locations around the country, though Manchester is not one of them. The largest UK scheme is London’s publicly operated system, informally known as “Boris Bikes” after the capital’s former mayor, Boris Johnson.

In Asia however, Mobike faces a more crowded market. Its biggest contender in China is Ofo – which is backed by Alibaba, rival to Mobike investor Tencent – while YouonBike, UBike, and Bluebike, are among its other competitors. In Singapore it is pitted against homegrown app Obike.