Another Dockless Bike Sharing Service Has Arrived in Sydney
After a trial run in Adelaide, Beijing-based company Ofo has unleashed its fleet of bikes onto the streets of Sydney.
We've all seen the packs of brightly coloured, hi-tech bicycles stationed on the footpaths of the city. And just when we thought that the shared bike situation had reached peak bike-pocalypse, Beijing-based company Ofo has begun rolling out a fleet of yellow bikes in Sydney.
Billed as the world's first and largest dockless bike sharing platform, Ofo has ten million bikes available in 180 countries across the globe, processing 32 million rides per day. The smartphone-enabled service was trialled in Adelaide earlier this month, receiving mixed responses from city councillors and the public. However, Ofo's staggered rollout of 400 bikes in Sydney has been endorsed by the state's leading cycling body, Bikes Australia.
Ofo reckons it's ironed out the kinks in this whole share bike game, saying it improves on Sydney's existing services. How? Well, firstly, the Ofo app indicates 'preferred parking' zones, to discourage riders from dumping their bikes on any old bit of footpath. Then there's the company's monitoring system, which uses thermodynamic diagrams to monitor the distribution of the bikes. This is obviously difficult to manage, but the company's got a local team on the ground, checking the bikes twice a day, shifting wayward bikes back to the proper zones and fixing any damages. As with Uber, Ofo also implements a credit rating system — well-behaved riders will earn points, while those who park outside the preferred zones and neglect to move them back will have points deducted.
The launch comes at a time when Australia's dockless bike sharing services are under fire. In Melbourne, three councils have signed a formal Memorandum of Understanding with Singapore's oBike to ensure the bikes are parked upright, don't block footpaths and will be removed from any dangerous locations within two hours.
Ofo launches 200 bikes in Sydney today, with an extra 200 in coming weeks. New users will score their first Ofo ride for free, with subsequent trips paid via debit or credit card priced at $1 for every half hour.
For more info, visit ofo.com.
By Libby Curran and Jonathan Ford.
