Dublin-based bicycle share firm Urbo not responding to UK councils after failing to re-launch

— Urbo apps removed from Google Play and Apple App stores.

Dublin City Council gave Urbo an extended deadline to launch stationless bicycle share in Dublin, but the company also failed to relaunch as promised in Ipswich in September and the UK councils involved have said they were out of contact for months.

According to the BBC, Ipswich Borough Council and Suffolk County Council said they had “not heard” from Urbo months.

A joint council statement from the councils said: “Suffolk County Council and Ipswich Borough Council have not heard from the company since they suspended the operation and we do not have any update on whether they plan to resume service in the town, despite trying to make contact recently.

The BBC also reported that it has made several attempts to contact Urbo but has so far been unsuccessful.

Urbo and a separate company Bleeper Bikes were given licences to launch stationless bicycle share in Dublin in May, but so-far only Bleeper has launched.

IrishCycle.com reported last month that Dublin City Council was giving Urbo a deadline of the end of September — this was said by a council official to transport committee meeting and IrishCycle.com confirmed it with the council’s press office before publishing the story, but when follow up questions were put to the council it said that the deadline may be relaxed.

A Dublin City Council spokeswomen said: “Significant progress has been made by Urbo in progressing to launch stage. The Council will provide every opportunity and assistance to Urbo to progress to launch as a successful licence applicant, including if necessary a further extension of time. It would be premature to make any further comment at this stage.”

It seems that Urbo’s failed schemes in London might have played a part in the company getting the second licence in Dublin but Dublin City Council have been unwilling to release the scoring for the licence tendering.

Asked what scoring all the companies had in the licensing tendering process, the city council spokeswoman said: “Only two companies were successful in obtaining operators licences. All the companies involved in the process were debriefed in terms of their marks scored and in relation to the successful operators scores. The Council is not prepared to publish the individual scores of each company.”

ALSO READ:Second bicycle share firm could take longer to get on Dublin’s streets


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