Dockless Bike Sharing Service oBike Launches in Sydney

If, over the weekend, you noticed yellow bikes popping up all over your neighbourhood and happily unchained to poles or bike racks, you weren't hallucinating. Last Thursday, oBike, a dockless bike sharing service started in Singapore, arrived in Sydney.

The harbour city is the second in Australia to score oBike — the company hit Melbourne in June. What's more, it's now Sydney's second dockless bike sharing service, following hot on the heels of Reddy Go, which landed in mid-July.

To encourage you to get in the saddle, oBike is offering unlimited, free rides throughout August. Get started by downloading the oBike app, signing up and paying a refundable deposit of $49. Use the app to find an oBike near you, scan its QR to unlock it and ride away. Once you're done, park in an appropriate spot (hint: not up a tree or in the water or atop a portaloo or around a lamp post) and lock up manually.

Sadly, Melbourne's continued access to oBike was threatened last week, with Lord Mayor Robert Doyle putting the company on notice. Way too many people have been leaving the bikes in all the wrong places, creating clutter and making a general nuisance of themselves. Let's see how Sydney fares.