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Bike sharing firm ofo quits Norwich

BBC Ofo bikesBBC
Ofo is removing its bikes from Norwich less than a year after they were introduced

Dockless bike sharing firm ofo is withdrawing its service from Norwich.

The company, which only started in the city in October, will withdraw its bikes over the summer as it looks to "cease operations in the city".

It did not reveal how many people used the service in Norwich, but said it wanted to focus on the capital.

It says it has close to 200,000 users in the UK and its 2,800 bikes in London see an average of three hires every day.

Ofo bikes in Norwich
Ofo says it has close to 200,000 users in the UK

The company, which operates across the world with schemes in Australia, China, France, India, Italy, Spain and Russia, has signed partnerships to allow operations in 10 London boroughs.

Joseph Seal-Driver, general manager of ofo UK, said: "The reception to our launch in Norwich was fantastic and we've seen a huge amount of hires.

"Unfortunately, we've taken the difficult decision to withdraw from the city and focus on other key markets."

South yorkshire police Ofo bikes collected by South Yorkshire PoliceSouth yorkshire police
In January police in Sheffield said they were refusing to collect any more of the city's ofo bikes which had been dumped and vandalised

Bike sharing firm Urbo announced in June that it was "taking a short break" from providing its bikes in Ipswich while it upgraded the service.

It said a new fleet would be available from September.