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news
Mobike outside Manchester Central Library (Mobike).jpgDockless bike share firm Mobike threatens to pull out of Manchester due to vandals
Dockless bike share firm Mobike has threatened to pull out of Manchester due to vandalism and theft.
Founded in Beijing in 2015, the company now operates in more than 200 cities worldwide, with Manchester last year becoming its first market outside China.
Bikes belonging to such schemes being targeted by thieves or vandals is nothing new – earlier this week we reported how police in Seattle are trying to track down a man filmed cutting brake cables.
But Mobike, which in the UK also operates in Newcastle, Oxford and parts of London, says it has not encountered anywhere else the levels of theft and vandalism it has seen in Manchester.
According to the Manchester Evening News, last month alone 10 per cent of the bicycles in Mobike’s fleet in the city were damaged or stolen.
Bikes have been thrown into canals and even set on fire, while others have had their locks broken with people taking them exclusively for their own use and keeping them at their homes when not being ridden.
The company acknowledges that most users of the scheme are responsible and says that its business model does allow for some losses.
But it adds that current levels of theft and vandalism in the city are unsustainable and it could shut down its operations in the coming weeks.
Mobike’s UK general manager, Jan Van der Ven, said: “As a private business, we are only viable if our revenues cover our costs, and that is not possible with the current levels of bike loss in Manchester.
“For that reason, we have sat down with representatives from Manchester council, Greater Manchester Police and TfGM, and have agreed a range of measures to help protect our bikes.”
Greater Manchester Cycling & Walking Commissioner Chris Boardman said the prospect of the city losing the scheme was “a real shame.”
He also pointed out that availability of bike sharing was an important aspect of his recently launched Beelines project to encourage more people to get around the city on foot or on bike.
Theft of vandalism of Mobike bicycles can be reported via its app or via email to support.uk [at] mobike.com.
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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16 comments
Ofo after much publicity and mid another wave of publicity are pulling out of Norwich. They had high vandalism at first but that had reduced to 'acceptable', in business model levels. Their average use targets were unrealistic to the point of insanity, I would not be surprised if they raised them recently so they had an excuse to leave- more likely they thought the fleet would do better elsewhere such as ambridge. They had no competition and now their is a vacuum for those who were using the scheme. They should be ashamed.
Ashamed? Why?
As you describe it, it was a business venture that didn't work out. Doesn't sound like something to be ashamed of.
crazy idea in the first place. I understand why councils don't want docks, but without them bikes just get dumped in all sorts of places. Obstructing doorways, footpaths, bus stops - and that's an aside to the theft/vandalism.
"says it has not encountered anywhere else the levels of theft and vandalism it has seen in Manchester"
Makes you proud to be British...
... but not from Manchester!
This story was all over BBC R4 today, including a lengthy slot on their comsumer prog, but they've never once mentioned the overwhelming benefits of cycling, despite all the dozens of reports detailing them. They've never mentioned any of the successful bike hire schemes either. The only time the BBC mentions cyclists it's to tell normal people how dangerous they are and how they should wear helmets and hi-viz.
I used to think the BBC was just biased politically, but apparently they hate cyclists too. How lucky we are to have a state broadcaster dedicated by charter to be fair and unbiased.
It must have been a different BBC that got very excited about fit 80 year old cyclists having immune systems similar to those of 20 year olds earlier this year.
I didn't hear the report but how did it demonstrate the BBC hates cyclists?
no sh*t sherlock........
I think dockless bikes are a great way of getting people using bikes as everyday transport. But why do some users insist on parking them in bike stands? They don't need to be secured to anything and you always have to move them out of the way to secure your own bike.
I think that some of the dockless bike companies actually insist that you do leave them at a bike stand. YoBike in Bristol does IIRC.
Urbo kind of do too,they define 'parking hubs' around bike stands and reward you with credits if you use them,but I've seen bikes left locked anywhere...though they seem another struggling with the make it profitable & vandal proof side
As I said in another thread, I’ve recently seen a lot of these pulled out of a canal I cycle along on my way to work. A fairly predictable result, really. Without docking (which obviously councils want to avoid, because of the necessary infrastructure spending) there’s nothing to stop you picking one of these up and hefting it anywhere you like.
I saw someone riding one round my town the other day. Not bad going, given I’m 12 miles from the city centre. Not sure which canal he was planning to dump it in.
Do these schemes actually get support/licenses from the council's in which they operate?
In vast majority of cases yes. This was launched in partnership with TfGM, for instance.
In London boroughs where you have Mobike or Ofo or other schemes, they are done in partnnership with the local council.
When an operator tried to launch in Wandsworth without informing the council, its bikes got impounded and the scheme shut down.