Decision Postponed On Future Of Mobikes

Hounslow Council waiting for news of bye-law for dockless bike schemes

Hounslow Council has not yet made a decision on the future of the controversial orange Mobikes which have been operating on a trial basis in Brentford and Chiswick for over a year. The Council's public consultation to get feedback on the dockless bike sharing scheme closed in March.

Chiswickw4.com asked the Council about the results of the consultation and was told they were awaiting news from TfL about a proposed bye-law covering dockless bike schemes. It appears that there is currently little or no regulation for operating the new schemes.

Last year the council approved a 12-month dockless bikeshare trial following an approach by Mobike, who had successfully launched in places including Ealing.

However the distinctive orange bikes have been the subject of controversy for the very reason they were supposed to be more user-friendly. This is because customers have sometimes left the bikes abandoned on pavements, outside houses and shop entrances in a way that has caused an obstruction. There have also been issues with the company's GPS system which is used to recover the bikes.

Hounslow Council says it had originally thought Mobikes would offer greater flexibility to users than docked bikeshare schemes such as the Santander scheme operated by Transport for London (TfL).The service was being provided to residents at no cost to the council. The Santander scheme, on the other hand, would have been prohibitively expensive to expand into Hounslow.

"However, a poorly-managed scheme can create issues such as bikes being left in unsuitable locations (e.g. the middle of a footpath). Our expectations of Mobike are underpinned by TfL's code of practice, to let operators know what is expected of them, and ensure their schemes complement the public transport network and the Mayor's Transport Strategy. "

Hounslow Council admitted last December that the orange Mobikes trial had been a disappointment, and that "the Mobike service to date has not consistently met with aspirations" for a dockless cycle scheme. It promised an immediate review of the scheme before the end of the 12 month trial period which expired in February this year.

The number of Mobikes around Chiswick seems to have reduced recently particularly on the High Road and near stations.

One regular user of the scheme contacted us to say, "Whatever its limitations, Mobike has been the biggest step forward in sustainable transport over the last few years in Chiswick. It does cost taxpayers a penny so the council would be daft to do anything other than endorse the scheme and look for ways to expand it."

The Mobikes got a poor review in The Londonist recently. The reviewer lasted seven minutes before panicking and getting off the bike. "It's not roadworthy. The bike weighs plenty but doesn't have any sturdiness thanks to the weight, nor are there gears. We spent our hellish seven minutes afraid of careering into other road users, so difficult was the bike to control. Avoid."

The reviewer gave the Mobikes a zero score out of 5.

July 8, 2019