Mobikes ride away after just 11 DAYS
Hire scheme bosses say ‘we are working to better protect our bikes and our team’ as they pull out of town
MOBIKE has confirmed it is pulling out of Stockport just ELEVEN DAYS after launching in the town.
The bike hire firm is suspending its new scheme in the town in order to ‘protect’ the bikes and their staff.
It comes less than a fortnight after 200 Mobikes were placed in Stockport on March 12.
A spokesman for Mobike said: “We are working to better ensure we can protect our bikes and our team.”
Mobike bosses would not provide any more details as to why they pulled out of the scheme in Stockport.
A spokesman was unable confirm whether the move was linked to vandalism or anti-social behaviour. The firm had hoped to eventually expand to 1,000 bikes in the town.
MOBIKE has confirmed it is pulling out of Stockport just ELEVEN DAYS after launching in the town.
The bike hire firm is suspending its new scheme in the town in order to ‘protect’ the bikes and their staff.
It comes less than a fortnight after 200 Mobikes were placed in Stockport on March 12.
A spokesman for Mobike said: “We are working to better ensure we can protect our bikes and our team.”
Mobike bosses would not provide any more details as to why they pulled out of the scheme in Stockport.
A spokesman was unable confirm whether the move was linked to vandalism or anti-social behaviour. The firm had hoped to eventually expand to 1,000 bikes in the town.
Stockport Mobike user Jonathan Brown says he is angry the service has been pulled from his town.
He said: “I love this area, I’ve been here 28 years and I’ve been trying to use the Mobikes every day since they came to Stockport.
“I have cardiac problems so I used the bikes to get out and about instead of taking the bus. The town has let me down.”
The scheme experienced teething problems caused by vandals when it launched in Manchester last year, with 70 out of 1,000 bikes being destroyed by the end of the year.
But Mobike is still going strong in the city centre after bosses brought in strict new rules which meant the bikes had to be left in a smaller ‘geofenced’ area of the city, so they were easier for users to find.
The scheme sees users download the Mobike app on their smart phone and register.
Built-in GPS then shows the people where their nearest available bike is.
Customers pay an initial deposit of just £1 when they join up and are then charged 50p per 30 minutes to use a bicycle.
Unlike London’s ‘Boris Bikes’, Mobikes are dockless and can be left in designated areas – as long as they’re not blocking pedestrians or traffic.