Ofo bikes leave Seattle and head to Africa
Ofo is out of the bike share game here in Seattle.
So when the company ends service next week, what happens to all of those bright, yellow bikes?
Turns out they have many miles still ahead of them.
More than 800 ofo bikes have been donated to the nonprofit World Vision.
From a warehouse in Fife, those bikes are going to cities in the U.S. and around the world, said site manager Quincy Walter.
“Internationally bikes are one of the biggest needs. So a lot of the bikes will go to kids and adults who have to walk roughly six kilometers for fresh water," Walter said.
Tuesday morning about 150 bikes were headed to Chad.
On Wednesday more were heading to Nicaragua and Somalia.
Walter said they’ll also be donated to churches in the Bronx and Dallas.
Ofo dropped out of the Seattle market after the City Council approved a $250,000 permit fee for bike share companies.
The Beijing-based bike company is shutting down in the rest of the country as well.
Ofo's departure leaves Limebike as the one bike share operating in Seattle, as Spin announced this month they're transitioning to electric scooters.
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Casey Martin
Reporter
Casey Martin is a general assignment reporter who has covered everything from political protests to electric scooters. He is almost always out in the field where the news happens. Casey has reported on extremism, houselessness, politics and Seattle’s nightlife.
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