Mobike launched in Washington DC today, marking the Chinese bike-sharing app’s first North American location.
The Shanghai-based company said that it worked with DC local government on the rollout, using bicycles with a special frame and three gears that has been customized for the city.
Mobike says that it is now present in over 180 locations worldwide, with more than seven million bicycles in service supporting over 25 million rides each day.
Ofo – Mobike’s Beijing-based competitors – launched its first Stateside service last month, selecting the northwestern city of Seattle as its beachhead.
The US already hosts a number of homegrown bike-sharing providers, though these have typically required users to lock their bikes at specified locations, as opposed to Mobike’s and Ofo’s dockless model.
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