Bike-share company ofo backpedals from White Plains shortly after launching

One of the two companies that launched a bike-share program in White Plains this summer is taking its bikes and going home.

Ofo announced July 23 that it’s shutting down its local operation. The company dropped 150 dockless bicycles throughout White Plains in June at the launch of the city’s program. Those bikes grabbed attention with a system that allowed riders to hop on and then leave bikes behind at their destination, paying through a mobile app.

The solid, bright yellow paint jobs separated the ofo bikes from those of its dockless competitor in the city, Lime.

Lime, meanwhile, will keep its neon green and yellow accented bikes on the streets of White Plains.

Related: Pedal peddlers: Meet the companies bringing dockless bike sharing to Westchester

White Plains is one of several U.S. cities hearing a similar announcement from ofo. The Chinese company is downsizing its operations to focus on China and large global cities where bike-sharing is better established.

“As we continue to bring bike-share to communities across the globe, ofo has begun to prioritize operations in a number of successful markets, allowing us to continue to serve our customers at the high level of quality they have come to expect,” said Andrew Daley, ofo”™s head of North America.

Lime is a Silicon Valley bike-share startup that began operating in White Plains the same day as ofo. The company’s 150 bikes are still available in the city.

Lime received an infusion of $335 million earlier this month from a group of investors that included Google parent company Alphabet Inc. and ride-sharing company Uber. Through a strategic partnership, Lime’s scooters will appear on the Uber app. The company operates in more than 60 markets in the U.S.

Both ofo and Lime operated in White Plains through a one-year pilot program, which required no investment from the city itself.

Lime also operates a dockless bike-share program in Yonkers. New Rochelle launched a bike-share program earlier this year, as well, though its format requires bikes be removed from and returned to bicycle racks.