Electric hire bike scheme could be here to stay says expert
A new hire bike scheme has launched in Sydney with hundreds of the green machines already on our streets. One transport expert reckons they could be here to stay this time round.
Southern Courier
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A new hire bike scheme has launched in Sydney.
American company Lime dropped 300 of its electric bicycles across the city last Friday with hundreds more promised over the coming weeks.
San Francisco-based Lime is following in the footsteps of the likes of Ofo and Reddy Go who pulled out of Sydney earlier this year.
However, transport expert Michiel Bliemer told the Southern Courier that this time the bikes could be here to stay.
The company claims it has had a presence in the city for six months in order to learn from the mistakes of competitors.
All of its bikes are electric, which experts say make the business model more sustainable.
The company says it cannot afford to have bikes dumped or stolen and so has fitted them with GPS sensors.
The bikes also have an anti-tilt sensor to notify staff when they have been dumped on their side.
Weighing in at 35kg they are also less likely to be found dumped in trees.
The company has employed 50 full time staff in Sydney to manage the scheme.
Professor Bliemer, from the University of Sydney, is one of the leading figures on urban transport in Australia.
He said Sydney has “great potential” to be a cycling city and said Lime could be the company to realise that potential.
“The other schemes didn’t discuss and work with local government about how best to place their bikes,” he said.
“But Lime appear to be working more closely with them. If they are well managed, they have a good chance of succeeding.”
One of the main problems of previous schemes was that users were dumping the bikes, particularly at our beaches, particularly Coogee, as they didn’t want to have to cycle back uphill.
“All the bikes are electric,” Prof Bliemer added. “As long as they are powerful enough to get up hills then we shouldn’t see the same problem with them being dumped.”
However, he said the problem of cycle parking could be the company’s downfall.
“That is still going to be the big issue for the community. The real solution is that the government needs to create dedicated parking spaces for cycles, just like they do for share cars.
“It would not be difficult to sacrifice one parking space. Think how many bikes you could get in just one space.”
Users must download the Lime app to use the bikes. It then cost $1 to unlock one of the bikes and then 30 cents per minute.
Prof Bliemer said Lime faces a tough challenge to change the perception of cycle hire schemes.
“They need to convince the public that they are different,” he said.
Lime also offers electric scooter hire schemes in American and the company is said to be in talks with the NSW Government about a trial.
The law would first need to be changed with scooters banned on public roads and footpaths in NSW.
“I tried them when I was in LA and they were fantastic,” Prof Bliemer said. “They are quick and take up less space than electric bikes.”
Waverley Mayor John Wakefield, who led the fight against hire bike operators earlier this year, fired a warning to Lime’s San Francisco bosses.
“If they are responsible then we have no problem,” he said. “But if they aren’t then I will have no hesitation in having our rangers impound the bikes.”
The mayor said he is also seeking legal advice on whether the bikes can be classified in the same way as vending machines so they can be regulated.
“I would like to stress that this rollout is a commercial project by Lime Bikes and not a project or activity of council in anyway,” he said.
Bayside Council Mayor Bill Saravinovski added: “ Lets see if this becomes another bike plague that we have to clean up, I hope that will not be the case.”
Randwick Mayor Kathy Neilson said the council is supportive of alternative forms of transport.
“We’re glad to see a biking option available to residents and visitors that has addressed some of the pitfalls presented by previous dockless bike operators,” she said,
“Before Lime bikes launched earlier this month we presented them with data and maps highlighting problem areas where bikes had been dumped or left in an unsafe manner.
“There are preferred parking areas for bikes and these are clearly communicated to users of the electric bikes. We also hope to see fewer bikes left at the beach, given that electric bikes are easier to ride back up the hill and towards town centres. Lime bikes has assured us they have a substantial support team, which will frequently reposition bikes to avoid unsafe and unsightly masses of bikes in one area, and technology that will alert the teams to bikes that have been placed haphazardly or have fallen over.”
A TEST RIDE BY MARIE HOGG
Waves of contorted metal share bikes began crashing over our streets more than a year ago.
They appeared out of nowhere, cheaply forged flimsy bits of junk which soon became trashed, littering the public domain.
As a casual cyclist I had given the previous models a go and found them almost impossible to ride.
Poor design meant riding over bumps felt like a sledgehammer on your spine — comfort had definitely been eschewed for cost.
Then, they all but disappeared as foreign investors pulled out.
That is until a fresh round of lime green electric bikes began to appear a few weeks ago.
The Lime-E bikes, from the US, promise an easier ride through battery power and more overall comfort.
So I set out to test them last week. Straight away I noticed the seat was a lot more comfy and the frame heavier (but that was likely just the battery).
With electric power to help supplement pedal power, it made my trek from Coogee to Centennial Park and down towards Maroubra much easier. Perhaps it was the weight of them too, but I felt more in control of the bike, although the initial zoom you get from the electric power can come as a bit of shock. Overall, a better riding experience, especially over the hills in the coastal suburbs.
There’s one big catch however. At $25.11 for 12km, the ride didn’t come cheap.
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