To the glut of bike-share companies swamping Dallas' streets and, mostly, its sidewalks, add another: Mobike. No joke.

Long rumored to have its eye on Dallas, the billion-dollar Beijing-based company announced late Saturday that beginning this frigid weekend — "just in time for New Year's Eve" — its orange-and-gray bikes are being rolled out downtown.

The release doesn't say how many bikes it's adding to downtown, only that, for now at least, it's a "limited number."

Like VBikes, Spin, LimeBike and Ofo, Mobikes are inexpensive to rent: $1 for every half-hour of use. On Saturday night, Mobikes' website also said there would be a one-time refundable deposit — something VBikes had when it debuted in Dallas in August but quickly did away with after customer complaints. But by Sunday morning an outside publicist for the company said that note was in error and was being removed.

The bikes are also dockless, meaning they can be picked up and dropped off anywhere.

Jason Wong, Mobike's U.S. general manager, was unavailable for an interview Saturday evening. But through a third-party publicist, he did respond to some questions via email.

When asked why the company chose Dallas, he reiterated a quote already in the news release: "Dallas is a regional business leader that attracts innovation and new technologies like dockless bikesharing." He then added: "We are passionate about bringing bikesharing to neighborhoods of Dallas that have so far been ignored. Our local team has been briefed on the city's concerns and are trained to rebalance the fleet according to demand and our goal to serve all areas of the city."

As for how many bikes are coming, Wong said only that "we are testing a few dozen bikes in key downtown locations" and that Mobike hopes to "grow the fleet according to demand and our goal to serve all areas of the city."

LimeBike rental bikes lie knocked over in a line along Young Street in downtown Dallas the week before Christmas. (Louis DeLuca / Staff Photographer)

Dallas is just Mobike's third U.S. market. Washington, D.C., was its first, back in September — only months after 3-year-old Mobike announced it had raised $600 million in funding from the likes of Hillhouse Capital, which has Airbnb in its portfolio, and Sequoia, which has financed almost everything to come out of Silicon Valley. A recent Economist article said none of the bike-share companies are making money and suggested that Mobike and Ofo consider merging.

City officials can't say exactly how many rental bikes there are in Dallas — which is one reason City Hall is likely to adopt regulations early in the new year that mirror Seattle's, which, among other things, demand rental companies register their two-wheelers with the city's transportation department. Seattle, Mobike's second domestic market, also limits how many bikes can be parked within a square mile.

The City Council will also have to consider charging the companies for use of the public's right of way. After all, sidewalk cafes have to pay a $200 annual license. And they occupy but a few feet of sidewalk.

Jared White, Dallas' de facto bike czar, said Saturday evening that he tried to talk Mobike out of coming to Dallas, given the number of bikes sitting — and lying down — on city sidewalks at the moment, many never moving.

"But they seemed very insistent on coming," he said. "And we're still come-one, come-all until we get direction from council."

White said council members will also be asked whether they want to cap the number of companies to which the city gives permits. But that outcome's unlikely, since no one will want to be accused of playing favorites. As North Dallas' council rep and chair of the council's Mobility Solutions, Infrastructure & Sustainability Committee, Lee Kleinman said Saturday night that all are welcome.

"The addition of Mobike to the mix in Dallas is part of the natural evolution of competition, and natural selection has begun to occur," said Kleinman, himself a cyclist. He spent the day walking downtown, from Dealey Plaza to the Arts District, counting bikes, and said he only saw a few Spin cycles and VBikes.

"Two companies have either reduced their presence or may not be keeping up," he said. "Most companies responded well to the meeting at City Hall when asked to keep the sidewalks orderly in the ongoing battle against vandalism. The MSIS committee will review the programs and consider regulation in the spring."

White said Saturday night that we're far from done with dockless bike rentals: YouBike, a Taiwanese import, has also contacted City Hall about coming to town.

"They didn't give a timeline, only soon," White said. "They were also very insistent. And as of now, we can't say no."