Chinese bike-sharing pilot in Israel forced to end due to high costs

JERUSALEM - A pilot project by Chinese bike-sharing company Ofo at the Weizmann Institute of Science in central Israel was forced to finish in less than two months after it began, local media reported.

Despite the great demand for Ofo's bikes, the company decided to end the pilot because many cyclists did not return the bikes after using them, the Hebrew-language Yedioth Aharonot daily newspaper reported Tuesday.

Some people even took the bikes home, it added.

Ofo undertook to collect the bikes and return them to the institute, but the costs seem to be higher than expected.

The Weizmann Institute also confirmed the end of the bike-sharing pilot.

"So many bikes were removed from the institute's area, which caused high costs for the operator," it said.

At the end of April, Ofo placed 150 yellow bicycles in central locations of the institute. The ride was free of charge within half an hour inside the institute.