China-based Mobike plans to roll out its bicycle sharing service in Australia’s Gold Coast, with about 2,000 bikes to be available in the area by January.

The bike sharing company said it was awarded exclusive rights to operate its dockless bike share service from the municipal authorities in Gold Coast in a competitive public bid.

Chris Martin, VP of international for Mobike, said: “We’re actively exploring opportunities to launch in additional Australian cities, and we hope that our partnership with Gold Coast City Council will give other councils the confidence to work with us to deliver a quality bike share experience to more Australian communities.”

Last week the company launched a pilot programme in Bangkok at Kasetsart University in partnership with AIS, Thailand’s largest mobile operator. Mobike said it will place hundreds of smart bikes on campus to provide the university’s 60,000 students with a means for traveling short distances. It aims to collect feedback from users and increase the number of bikes in the programme as it rolls out its service across Bangkok, in collaboration with local partners.

In mid-October Mobike introduced its service in South Korea in the city of Suwon with support from the city government. Suwon aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 40 per cent by 2030, almost double the national target, and in support of this, the local government is working towards expanding the city’s cycling infrastructure.

The company raised $600 million in June in its latest funding round led by Tencent, taking total funding raised since October 2016 to $900 million.

Mobike launched service in Shanghai in April 2016 and has expanded to more than 180 cities globally.