Mobike’s International Pullout Currently not Affecting Israel, Says Local Operator

Global cutbacks in the operations of dockless bike sharing company Beijing Mobike Technology Co. Ltd. do not currently affect the company’s activity in Israel, a spokesperson for the company’s Israeli franchise holder Car2Go Ltd. said in a statement to Calcalist.

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On Friday, Techcrunch reported that Mobike has laid off its operations teams in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, India and Australia. The terminations are part of Mobike’s intention to cut its global operations and refocus on China, Techcrunch said.

Currently, the rollback does not include Israel, according to the company’s Israeli franchise holder Car2Go Ltd. Mobike’s Israeli activities are operated by Car2Go, the latter told Calcalist, while Techcrunch’s report seems to apply only to localities where Mobike is the direct operator.

Israel is one of Mobike’s most successful and growing markets, Car2Go stated, and as of yet, the company has not received any update from Mobike regarding reported pullback. “We are continuing to run Mobike’s bike operation in the greater Tel Aviv area with no changes to the service.”

Until recently, Mobike was seen as a forerunner among the micro-mobility companies, with around $930 million raised from investors including Tencent and Warburg Pincus before its $2.7 billion acquisition by Chinese web company Meituan-Dianping in April 2018. In a November earnings call, Meituan stated Mobike will be downsizing its fleets.