In 2018 for many cities outside China they became a little less numerous, as the Chinese bike sharing service Ofo contracted its operations and pulled its distinctive yellow machines from the streets.

Ofo’s smaller peer, No.1 Bicycle, halted services in February, while Bluegogo, facing financial pressure late last year, ended in a tie-up with ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing.

Ofo will also launch its services in India in a tie-up with Paytm. Also, in September 2017, InMobi’s co-founder Amit Gupta launched Yulu – an IoT-enabled bike rental platform. Another major ...