Cycling has long been a hobby and form of travel which many people are fond of, especially in the West London area. With the sprawling acres of parks, coupled with idyllic paths running alongside the river, where else would one go to cycle? The mass amounts of cyclists in this area, is aided partly by the extortionate price of parking, however despite this, it is a hobby enjoyed by many people of all ages.
Cycling, however, can be an expensive hobby to take up. For example, an adult sized bike, can cost upwards of 100 pounds, and add on the price of sustaining the bike, and one can find themselves with a hefty expense on their hands. In order to maintain the umbers of people cycling, the former Mayor of London installed “Boris Bikes,” which allowed people to ride around the Central London area, and dock bikes and designated docking stations. This removed the risk of bikes being stolen and it meant that people would bike around without having to commit to buying an expensive bike. However the bikes are only found in Central London and are also seen to be extremely heavy and clunky. Having seen the necessity for a new breed of bikes in Greater London, which were more manoeuvrable, Joe Xia set up a branch of Mobike in London. He started Mobike in China, in order for people to commute to work. London has taken favourably to Mobike, especially in West London where the need for such a company was evident.
The bikes can be spotted by their interesting, lightweight frame, covered in silver paint and orange stickers, donning the company logo. The bikes can be docked anywhere, an improvement on ‘Boris Bikes,’ where one had to search for a docking station to complete their journey. In addition, the bikes can be hired of ones phone, making them more accessible for the everyday commuter. All these things make them ideal for West London, and therefore they have taken off in the community, with an expected increase in usage predicted over the next few months.
