Cycle hire numbers will soar, predicts disruptive technologies analyst

Cycle hire will allow cycling to "go into hyper-growth mode," as borne out in China, where Beijing alone has more than 650,000 shared bikes, according to an analyst of disruptive technologies, the CNN reports online.

The article quoting Horace Dediu says that a dock-less system is set to be launched in the US by LimeBike, and this will, as in China, improve accessibility and convenience, where one company, Mobike, says users take 20 million rides a day on its 3.6m bikes. He asserts that with 2.3m shared bikes at the end of last year, globally there will be "more than 100m on global roads by 2025". The speed of bikes in New York is encouraging take-up, whilst the provision of electric bikes will encourage those deterred by hills, he adds.

Meanwhile, the FT also reported the growth of bike-sharing in China and how this was posing a problem for manufacturers.