Melbourne and bike-share firm oBike part ways

Singapore-based bicycle-share firm oBike has “temporarily withdrawn” from Melbourne, according to city authorities. Unlike many other bike-share schemes worldwide, oBike has no docking stations – and this has meant that oBikes have been abandoned around the city by users. Pictures of the distinctive yellow bikes in trees, on bus shelters and in the Yarra river circulated widely on social media. A memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the city and the company says that oBike is responsible for ensu
June 20, 2018 Read time: 2 mins
Singapore-based bicycle-share firm oBike has “temporarily withdrawn” from Melbourne, according to city authorities. Unlike many other bike-share schemes worldwide, oBike has no docking stations – and this has meant that oBikes have been abandoned around the city by users.


Pictures of the distinctive yellow bikes in trees, on bus shelters and in the Yarra river circulated widely on social media.

A memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the city and the company says that oBike is responsible for ensuring that its bikes do not obstruct footpath access, are parked upright at all times, are not parked on traffic islands or against trees, buildings, light poles or street furniture and that “any dangerously-placed oBikes are relocated within two hours”.

The city has the power to confiscate and impound the bikes. On its Twitter feed, the City of Melbourne announced: “We're working closely with them to remove the remaining oBikes. We recommend people stop using @AustraliaObike & have asked the company to switch off their booking facility.”

But the city has suggested that new legislation is required, and says it has asked Victoria’s state government “to establish more fit-for-purpose overall regulatory arrangements as a matter of priority. While this MOU is a step in the right direction, the development of dockless bike sharing requires specific regulatory responses that are not currently available to local governments”.

The Melbourne Bike Share service, which requires bikes to be picked up and returned to designated docking stations, continues to be available.

UTC

Related Content

  • January 24, 2019
    Ford’s decision to bin Chariot ride-share service came after ‘significant consideration’
    Ford has given no explanation for the decision to abandon its ride-sharing shuttle service Chariot, but said it came after “significant consideration”. The service will stop operating on UK shuttle commuter routes tomorrow – after just a few months - and on US routes after 1 February. All Chariot services will cease completely by the end of March. A statement from the company gave little clue as to why: “In today’s mobility landscape, the wants and needs of customers and cities are changing rapidly. We a
    Read More
  • October 28, 2019
    ARTBA president: what happened to the hoverboards?
    What keeps Dave Bauer up at night? David Arminas caught up with the head of ARTBA at his Washington, DC office during daylight hours Dave Bauer doesn’t really have many sleepless nights. He might sleep, though, with one eye open, just in case. “We have become a much more divided country politically,” says Bauer, president of ARTBA – American Road and Transportation Builders Association. “Whether you are thinking about federal government, or state or local government, there’s a hostility now in our politi
    Read More
  • August 5, 2020
    White lines? Cyclists need more
    Just painting lines on the road isn’t sufficient to persuade most people to cycle – you need to separate them from motor vehicles altogether. David Arminas talks to transportation engineer Tyler Golly about the Covid ‘wake-up call’
    Read More
  • April 9, 2018
    MaaS app Whim ‘to cover 60 countries in next five years’
    Whim, the Mobility as a Service (MaaS) app which gives users access to transport packages on a pay-as-you-go or monthly subscription basis, has announced ambitious growth plans. “Within the next five years, we want to cover 60 countries,” Whim co-founder Kaj Pyyhtia (pictured) told ITS International. At present Whim, which is owned by MaaS Global, is available in just two countries, but Pyyhtia insists the target is achievable. The service was launched in Birmingham, UK, last week, to cover the
    Read More

Highlighted Content