As it shuts down service in Seattle, Ofo is donating its bright yellow, shareable bikes to a handful of nonprofit organizations.
Ofo confirmed plans to donate bikes to Cup of Cool Water, World Vision, and Working Bikes in an email to GeekWire Monday. The company would not say how many bikes will be donated. Bikes that are in disrepair will be recycled.
Ofo operated about 4,000 free-floating bikes in Seattle as part of a year-long pilot program to test dockless bikeshare technology. That pilot concluded in July and Seattle approved a new fee structure for permanent bikeshare permits.
When the Seattle City Council passed the $250,000 annual fee, Ofo confirmed plans to leave the market. The company cited the fee as its primary reason for departing but Ofo was already shuttering operations in most U.S. markets including Atlanta, Austin, Dallas, and Miami.
GeekWire media partner KING 5 first reported on the nonprofits that will receive Ofo bikes.
