After a successful launch in the West London borough of Ealing, Mobike is today expanding its dockless bike share scheme in London, with 400 bikes set to roll out in Islington.

British Cycling joined forces with Mobike in September with an ambition to get two million more people on bikes before 2020. The scheme is now active in the two London boroughs, along with Manchester, Newcastle and Oxford, with the aim of launching in 15 UK towns and cities in the next 12 months.

Steve Pyer, UK General Manager for Mobike, said:

“Islington is an important milestone in growing our presence in London. Islington is a stylish, energetic, multi-generational borough – and already has a strong cycling culture.

“Working with forward-thinking local authorities such as Islington is an essential part of the way we operate as we believe strong relationships with public transport organisations, council representatives, mayoral teams and other city stakeholders are vital to the success of bike-sharing.

“Our aim is to build on our presence in Ealing and now Islington, and further introduce Mobike as the best environmentally-friendly Bikeshare service to further London boroughs over the next few months.”

Islington residents will today be greeted by Mobike’s UK team and council members, who will help first-time users get started on the distinctive bright orange and silver bikes. Mobike will look to expand the scheme beyond the initial 400 bikes in Islington as the scheme develops.

Mat Cork, British Cycling’s national partnerships manager, said:

“Riding a bike is an easy, healthy and fun activity that can fit seamlessly into people’s daily routines, and through this collaboration we are engaging with local communities and businesses to encourage people to make that step.

“We know that one of the biggest deterrents of getting on a bike is not having one, and the beauty of this scheme is that Mobike provide bikes to people where and when they are needed, encouraging local people to rediscover their inner cyclist.”

Currently in over 180 cities around the world with over seven million bikes, Mobike reports over 100 million users. To date, Mobike users have collectively cycled over 5.6 billion kilometers, equivalent to reducing CO2 emissions by more than 1.26 million tons, or taking 350,000 cars off the road for a year.