Sydney Bike Share: Everything You Need to Know
The colourful visions of a world without cars started in Sydney in 2017 when bike share schemes were introduced. Now, you cannot even walk a few kilometres without encountering a share bike on your way. The debate over whether share bikes are a civic boon or an annoyance to city dwellers is back now since share bikes have returned to the streets after the pandemic.
Key Takeaways
- Bike share schemes play an important role in our future transport technology.
- Dockless bike share schemes allow people to access multiple bikes with an app. It does not require you to return the bike to a docking station.
Read on to learn more about dockless bike sharing in Sydney.
Sydney Bike Share Guidelines
The six Sydney councils created the inner Sydney bike-sharing rules in December 2017. These rules specify what is expected from dockless bike-share operators.
They were developed in collaboration with various bike share companies and other stakeholders by the Canada Bay, the Inner West, the City of Sydney, Randwick, Waverley, and Woollahra councils.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, all bike-share companies must comply with the council's guidelines.
The bike-sharing guidelines of Sydney include the following:
- Informing customers about proper bike parking and safe riding.
- Keeping track of all the bikes to prevent accumulation in one place.
- Enable quick reporting of faulty or damaged bikes or bicycles parked in the wrong places using an app, email, or phone.
- Remove defective or damaged motorcycles right away.
- Provide a GPS-based tracking system for bikes.
- Encourage safe, legal riding both when new members sign up and regularly after that.
- Inform the government's transportation and urban planning departments of data.
Guidelines for Bike Riders
Bike Parking
You should ensure the security and comfort of every person using the footpath by parking the e-bikes in a responsible way. Keep a clear passage for pedestrians and keep building walls open for vehicles traveling along the roadway.
Place bicycles next to bike racks, but don't block regular users' space.
There are more than 3,000 bike parking spaces in the eastern suburbs of Sydney. You can request proper bike parking in the city for shared bikes.
If shared bikes are blocking traffic, you can move them, or you can call the appropriate operator.
Responsible Riding
It's important to follow all the New South Wales (NSW) traffic laws if you are riding a shared bike. The NSW Police Force can impose fines for offenses and enforce traffic laws.
Comparing Bike Share Companies
All the bike-sharing companies in Sydney are private companies. The operations of every Sydney bike-share company are essentially the same. You can use their app to discover a bike nearby and pick up the bike after booking it.
Moreover, you can simply scan the bike's QR code to unlock it and start biking! After this, you can pedal to your heart's content, and when you're done, you simply should lock it up to a signal that you're ready to leave.
Some bike-sharing programs additionally provide a rider rating system. In this system, you begin with 100 points, and your points will increase as long as you behave well. The following tasks determine the positive behaviour:
- Complete your rides.
- Notify the company of any broken bike.
- Recommend friends to use the company's bike.
However, if you behave badly, your points will decrease. If you lose too many points, you may be completely prohibited from riding or have to pay more. The negative behaviour includes:
- Booking and cancelling your ride too many times.
- Parking the bikes illegally.
- Forgetting to lock the bikes.
- Using your own lock to lock the bikes instead of using the company-provided ones.
You can get electric bikes in all the Australian cities if you don't want to pay for public transport. Whether you are a local in Australia or a tourist, you can browse the Bonza bike tours to rent electric scooters.
With so many bike share operators to choose from, you must compare all providers to select the best one for your needs.
On-Yah Bikes
The On-Yah share bike company, GoBYKKO, and the Lime Bike company arrived in the Sydney CBD at the same time, but there are some differences between all these companies.
With 1600 share bikes, the On-Yah company can very much cover the entire central Sydney city, as well as travel to Mascot and Newtown. However, you cannot find this company in the eastern suburbs, Bondi, or North Sydney.
It charges 20 cents per minute on a PAYG plan. You can also purchase a subscription plan that provides unlimited rides for $29.90 per month. Additionally, you can choose between geared, non-geared, and e-bikes.
Lime Electric Bikes
Lime bikes were previously owned by Uber, which was known for the lime-green e-bike. The company has over 500 share bikes that cost $1 per ride and an extra 0.45 cents per minute. Lime bikes offer electric pedal assist, so you can easily ride uphill. With three gears, these share bikes have a top speed of roughly 25 kph. You can find these share bikes even in most eastern suburbs and the northern beaches.
The fact that the app tells you how much charge each bike has remained is a wonderful feature. Naturally, you want to choose the battery with the maximum power because the engine won't provide as much of a boost if the batteries start to discharge.
GoBYKKO Bike Share
This company operates a little differently than the other e-bike companies. It targets hotel guests and has its bikes stationed at hotels. The company began operating in Sydney in August 2020 with two stations constructed in the Veriu Broadway and Veriu Green Square hotels, joining existing operations in Newcastle, Canberra, NSW, Perth, and the Sunshine Coast.
You can pick up and drop off the e-bike from the same place. With its 70 km battery range, it can take you all over Sydney. The bikes will cost you $5.50 per 15 minutes without insurance. You must inform the hotel authorities or the company operator about damaged bikes.
The Helmet Issue with Bike Shares
All of Sydney's bike share programs also offer helmets, at least in theory. Some riders love the design of certain bike helmets, so they do not return them after their ride gets over. Therefore, there will be times when you get to your bicycle and don't find a helmet to go with it.
Australian law states that all bikers should have their helmet on while riding. Each bike share program strives to ensure that the bikes have a helmet when the day begins. If you get at your bike, and it is missing one, report it (this earns you points in rating systems), but you will need to choose another bike in order to ride it legally. Alternatively, you can carry your own helmet to avoid such disasters.
FAQs
Are Bike Share Schemes Successful?
Large cities worldwide have had success with bike-share programs, but small, rural, and suburban towns are also implementing them. With a dockless system, it saves time and money for the locals and tourists. Most car trips that take over an hour in Australia could take only 20-minute rides with bike share schemes.
Do Bike Share Operators Offer Different Types of Bikes?
There are multiple design options when considering a bike share program. Although docking stations are a common feature of bike-share designs, floating bikes that are locked to popular cityscape furnishings like lampposts when not in use are another option.
Even though e-bikes are more expensive, more people choose to ride them because they are easier to ride, especially in hilly or hot areas.
To ensure that the bike share is fair to all inhabitants, you can also consider adaptable bikes. These bikes offer a different form of riding with more stability for those who are curious to try them.
Is Bike Sharing an Affordable Option?
A bike-share station can increase accessibility for the locals at just a tiny fraction of a car's price. It is not only an affordable solution but an eco-friendly one at that. Bike-sharing schemes not only benefit the neighbouring locals but also tourists that visit the locality.
Additionally, bike rides take much less time to move around the city while enjoying the picturesque view of the surroundings.
Conclusion
If you haven't given the dockless bike share a chance yet, try it out and see for yourself because you are in for a ride!
