OBike’s Departure From Oxford Is A Pause Not An Exit, Says Dockless Firm

The reports of our exit from Oxford are greatly exaggerated, oBike has told BikeBiz. Earlier this week we quoted a competitor dockless firm saying “The departure of oBike will benefit consumers.” However, oBike’s Annebeth Wijtenburg said the Singapore-based firm was “pausing Oxford operations amidst transition to new business model.” She added: “In December last year, oBike moved to a new business model, the Global Business Partnership Programme, in order to localize operations and tap into local expertise and experience.

“The GBPP is already being successfully implemented in several countries of operations in Europe, including France, Italy, and Spain. “Here in the UK, we are currently in conversations with potential partners. While discussions are ongoing, we have decided to take the bikes off the street in Oxford to ensure we keep to the standards of operations as signed in the code of conduct.” GBPP is a franchise-like programme that involves third parties managing oBike’s on-ground operations and maintenance works.

Read on here.