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Mobike lost 200,000 bikes last yearMobike in Manchester (Sian Dibben)

Mobike lost 200,000 bikes last year

Bike share firm still suffering theft and vandalism
by Alex Bowden
Sat, Jan 04, 2020 16:16
11

Chinese bike-share firm, Mobike – now officially named Meituan Bike – has revealed that it lost over 200,000 bikes last year as a result of theft and vandalism.

The BBC reports that 205,600 dockless bikes were lost. The firm has thanked 189,000 of its users who filed reports about stolen or damaged bikes.

Mobike uses a credit score system which is designed to punish or reward users according to how they use the service. Some offenders are banned.

Despite these measures, the company has struggled with vandalism in many areas.

One Mobike incident a day was reported to Manchester police during the firm's time in the city.

It eventually pulled out in September 2018, saying that losses resulting from vandalism and theft had rendered its operation “unsustainable.”

The firm also pulled out of Newcastle and Gateshead after bikes were dumped in the Tyne.

In March last year, an urban transport expert described the dockless bike-sharing business model as a ‘joke’.

“No one is making any money anywhere in the world,” said Singapore-based Professor Park Byung Joon.

His colleague, transport economist Walter Theseira, added: "It is a business model that defied gravity because there was a lot of cheap money pumped into it. Gone will be the days of just putting bikes everywhere.”

dockless bike share
Mobike
Meituan Bike
Alex Bowden

Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.

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11 comments

Avatar
BehindTheBikesheds | 4 years ago
1 like

These bikes are a sign of a failed system, they wouldn't be needed in great numbers if people could cycle in on their own bikes from the burbs or bring their own bikes on a train. Sure tourists can benefit but that's where docked systems are fine, dockless is really not the way to go IMO, too many pitfalls and ignores the bigger problem.

And can we ditch the bike share tag and just call them what they are, bike hire schemes.

Avatar
vonhelmet replied to BehindTheBikesheds | 4 years ago
1 like
BehindTheBikesheds wrote:

These bikes are a sign of a failed system, they wouldn't be needed in great numbers if people could cycle in on their own bikes from the burbs or bring their own bikes on a train. Sure tourists can benefit but that's where docked systems are fine, dockless is really not the way to go IMO, too many pitfalls and ignores the bigger problem.

And can we ditch the bike share tag and just call them what they are, bike hire schemes.

What in the what? How are you unbanned?

Avatar
BehindTheBikesheds replied to vonhelmet | 4 years ago
0 likes

vonhelmet wrote:
BehindTheBikesheds wrote:

These bikes are a sign of a failed system, they wouldn't be needed in great numbers if people could cycle in on their own bikes from the burbs or bring their own bikes on a train. Sure tourists can benefit but that's where docked systems are fine, dockless is really not the way to go IMO, too many pitfalls and ignores the bigger problem.

And can we ditch the bike share tag and just call them what they are, bike hire schemes.

What in the what? How are you unbanned?

I was banned, when did that happen?

Avatar
crazy-legs replied to BehindTheBikesheds | 4 years ago
1 like

BehindTheBikesheds wrote:

And can we ditch the bike share tag and just call them what they are, bike hire schemes.

There's a difference.

ZipCar is a car share scheme but Hertz/EuropCar etc are car hire.
Santander Cycles is bike hire. Mobike/Ofo etc are bike share.

Subtle but important. Like how stairs and steps are essentially the same thing but stairs are inside and steps are outside - that sort of loose analogy.

Avatar
crazy-legs | 4 years ago
0 likes

They weren't about urban mobility so much as making a lot of money very quickly from investment capitalists desperate to get their hands on the data that users input into the app and the resulting travel patterns so they can target them with advertising.

Public transport (of which municipal bike hire should absolutely be a part) needs to be heavily subsidised by Government and regulated. These weren't and while it's easy (and partly true) to blame the chav scum who smashed locks, nicked them, dumped them and wrecked them, there was zero business plan, often very limited engagement with councils/local authorities and then limited support and backup from Mobike themselves.

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Rick_Rude | 4 years ago
0 likes

These schemes are the equivalent of junk mail rather than targeted demand.

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brooksby | 4 years ago
4 likes

To lose one bike may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose 200,000 must be regarded as nothing less than carelessness... 3

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handlebarcam | 4 years ago
2 likes

Why private corporations like this are allowed to litter the pavements, towpaths, squares, cycle paths and parks of our cities with their ugly trash is beyond me. I'm sorely tempted to chuck them in the water myself, but that would pollute the river and be a hazard to navigation. If allowed at all, they should be restricted to a few designated parking zones, and any found elsewhere should be taken away and destroyed by the local councils each night (except of course they have no staff to do so.)

Avatar
FluffyKittenofT... replied to handlebarcam | 4 years ago
3 likes

handlebarcam wrote:

Why private corporations like this are allowed to litter the pavements, towpaths, squares, cycle paths and parks of our cities with their ugly trash is beyond me. I'm sorely tempted to chuck them in the water myself, but that would pollute the river and be a hazard to navigation. If allowed at all, they should be restricted to a few designated parking zones, and any found elsewhere should be taken away and destroyed by the local councils each night (except of course they have no staff to do so.)

 

I don't disagree, but I feel similarly about cars!

Avatar
EddyBerckx | 4 years ago
5 likes

The thing is...they really clutter the urban environment. Santander bikes have their own docking stations so dont get in anyone's way. These things are dumped everywhere. Even if they are parked correctly, they often get knocked over if the street they are dumped on is busy.

I just don't think they are a good idea personally

Avatar
alexuk | 4 years ago
2 likes

Shame. There are so many total YOBS in urban area's these days - I just don't get why someone would want to kill the bike or park it like a total kn0b!? its not hard to be a good person, look after the bike you're borrowing and park it like a grown-up. 

 

 

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