oBikes pulls out of Melbourne

People are being urged to stop riding oBikes as the bike share company pulls out of Melbourne.

An oBike is left abandoned at the St Kilda Pier. Photo: Stuart McEvoy

People are being urged to stop riding oBikes as the bike share company pulls out of Melbourne.

Melbourne Lord Mayor Sally Capp confirmed she had been advised the Singaporean company was pulling out of the Melbourne market and the council would help collect the dockless bikes.

“oBikes have decided to withdraw from our market here in Melbourne, and we are working very closely with them to remove oBikes from the city streets. And we recommend from this point that all people should stop using oBikes,” Ms Capp said.

She added oBikes had not given a reason for its decision to withdraw.

She said that the behaviour of people using oBikes had “added a degree of difficulty” to the way the issues had played out.

oBikes on a North Melbourne footpath. Photo: AAP

The company has been under intense pressure from environmental regulators because the dockless bikes have been dumped across the city and in rivers.

Abandoned bikes have recently been classified as litter by Victoria’s Environmental Protection Authority.

The EPA announced a new fine systems, introduced from June 6, that meant the company would have two hours to remove individual bikes left in the street, or receive a $3000 fine.

The Australian has approached the Singapore-based company for comment but has not received a response.

The EPA said it expected oBike to remember its environmental obligations as the company pulled out of Melbourne.

“If oBikes do decide to leave, any bikes they leave behind can be treated as abandoned under the Environment Protection Act 1970. Authorities can collect them and then send the bill to the oBike owners,” EPA chief executive Nial Finegan said.

In May 2018, the EPA issued the company with Litter Abatement Notices to allow councils to issue fines of more than $3,000 each for any incident in which the company didn’t comply.

“EPA encourages bike riding as an environmentally friendly mode of transport but not where the bikes are used and abandoned causing an environmental hazard,” Mr Finegan said.

The EPA said it was important that any new business setting up in Victoria understood their duties, responsibilities and obligations to the environment.