Man spotted pushing oBikes to the ground and throwing helmets in the public bin

HATRED of oBikes has no age limits, with hilarious footage showing a pensioner pushing the bikes to the ground and throwing helmets in the public bin.

THERE is no denying Aussies are fed up with the yellow, GPS-tracked rental bicycles littering the sidewalks and streets of Sydney and Melbourne.

As backlash to the dockless bicycle hire scheme, people have been vandalising the bikes and leaving them in watery graves, stacked in large piles or hanging from street signs/bus stops.

Given the nature of the damage, people might think the youth of Australia are to blame.

And while this might hold some merit, it turns out pensioners are equally as guilty.

Early Tuesday morning, a grey haired man wearing arm sling was seen pushing oBikes to the ground and throwing helmets in the public bin at Bondi Beach.

Here is what I think of your oBike.

I didn’t choose the thug life, the thug life chose me.

Other than providing a source of entertainment for vandals dumping the bikes, the schemes aim to offer a cheap alternative to public transport or driving.

Both Melbourne and Sydney have seen the introduction of oBikes — yellow, GPS-tracked rental bicycles that rent for just $1.99 for half an hour, plus $69 membership fee that is refundable on request.

Sydney has also seen the introduction of ReddyGo — red, GPS tracked bikes that rent just $1.99 for half an hour, plus a $99 membership fee that is also refundable on request.

The services have multiple streams of revenue including money generated from the ride-and-pay model, selling data from the GPS tracked bikes and bank interest gained from holding the refundable membership fees.

However, with the destruction or theft of bikes posing a huge risk the company’s business model, oBike are not happy.

“Since our launch, we have had a few who abused our bikes either by dismantling them or throwing them into canals. This was disappointing,” a spokesman told news.com.au.

Following the recent abuse of the bikes in Melbourne, which saw 42 cycles from the Yarra within four hours, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) has been signed between the dockless bike share operator oBike and three governing bodies.

Under the terms and conditions outlined in the MOU, oBike is responsible for ensuring:

• oBikes do not obstruct footpath access

• oBikes are parked upright at all times

• oBikes are not parked on steps, ramps or other areas that provide directional assistance to the vision impaired

• oBikes are parked away from roadside kerbs and are not parked on traffic islands or against trees, buildings, light poles or street furniture

• any dangerously placed oBikes are relocated within two hours

• any oBikes reported as faulty, damaged or unsafe are immediately removed from service and must also be removed from the public realm within 24 hours; until suitably repaired

• any inappropriately placed oBikes are relocated within 48 hours

• excessive numbers of oBikes at a single location must be relocated within 24 hours

• bike locations are monitored regularly to avoid and manage potential breaches of the agreement.

If oBike fails to comply with the agreed responsibilities, compliance officers can confiscate and impound oBikes — only released to the company if they are claimed within 14 days and a $50 per bike impound release fee has been paid.

If oBikes are not claimed within the impound time frame they will be recycled. The municipalities will also notify the company when oBikes have been impounded.

Do you hate oBikes as much as the angry pensioner? Continue the conversation in the comments below or with Matthew Dunn on Facebook and Twitter.