Let’s first talk about our past indiscretions with bike-sharing companies. Melbourne’s original, government-backed bike-sharing scheme, the docked blue bikes, launched in 2010 but were sadly scrapped last year due to a lack of use. We also saw the much-maligned yellow OBikes come and go from our streets after they were more commonly seen floating in the Yarra River than ridden by the general public.
Have we learned from our past mistakes? Probably not. However, Lime e-bikes have been launched in Melbourne as of today. You may remember that these red and green e-bikes were originally launched in March (but quickly scrapped due to the 'demic) but they were operated by a different company (Jump, which was somewhat tied with Uber). Now, Jump has been bought out by Lime and they’re ready to relaunch over summer.
You can hire one of these e-bikes via the Lime or Uber apps. They will cost $1 to unlock and 45 cents per minute that you use them. You can purchase a day pass for $16.99, which seems a little more economical. You can find out more info on pricing via the Lime app.
Lime has worked with Melbourne councils including the City of Port Phillip, the City of Yarra and Melbourne city council for the roll out, so initially, you’ll be able to hire a bike around the CBD, St Kilda and parts of Yarra.
The first roll out will be around 300 bikes with the goal to increase this to 800. The bikes will be regularly serviced and maintained by Good Cycles, the Melbourne bike repair shop and social enterprise that works with disadvantaged youths.
Check out the Lime bikes here.