The world's first and largest smart bike-share scheme officially launched on Tuesday (September 12) in the Ealing Central and Acton constituency.

Mobike, which has introduced 750 communal bikes to the borough, will allow local residents to pick up a high-tech bike in west London simply by downloading an app.

Using specially designed bikes with GPS and proprietary smart-lock technology, Mobike enables users of the app to find a bike near them, reserve and unlock it, all using their smartphones.

The launch of the community bike-share scheme, at 10am in Acton Market Square, saw politicians and local businesses gathering to promote cycling with locals.

Steve Pyer, UK general manager for Mobike, spoke before the launch and said the company is committed to getting people cycling more often.

“We’re excited about today’s kick off and the roll out of our scheme in Ealing,” he said.

The bike scheme was launched in Ealing on Tuesday (September 12)

“We’ve had really productive discussions with local businesses and organisations in the past few months, and we are all committed to leveraging Mobike to develop the bike sharing culture across the borough, and get people cycling more.

“We have also invested in a local workforce to support the scheme’s distribution, as we are eager to be a strong long term partner for the local community, and London more widely.”

The scheme is Ealing’s very first smart and dockless bike share scheme and it is designed to benefit users, local business and communities, as well as Ealing Council through the unique data insights provided by the bikes’ technology.

Mobike has already taken Manchester by storm

The data provided will help manage location-based bike demand and inform infrastructure planning in the long term, according to Mobike.

Council leader Julian Bell said: “Mobike is the world’s largest operator and they have a huge amount of experience in managing dockless bike sharing schemes.

“They have already introduced the bikes in Manchester and it’s good to see that they are taking a cautious approach to introducing them to ensure they are a success."

A community bike-share scheme has launched in the borough of Ealing

He added: “I’m sure our residents will show consideration for other road and pavement users and do their bit to make sure they park them sensibly and help the scheme to run smoothly.”

Mobike has confirmed it aims to provide its environmentally-friendly service to a series of London boroughs over the next few months.

The Mobike mobile app is now available for download in London via the Android store here and Apple app store here.

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