Share bikes pop up around town

Taking to Wellington’s streets on two wheels has been made easier with the launch of the capital’s first bicycle share programme.

The six-month trial began on Saturday, with Wellington City Council opting for the Onzo scheme, dreamt up by an Auckland-based company.

Two hundred fixed-gear bicycles filled Wellington’s streets to attract wannabe riders at 25c for every 15 minutes of use.

Cycle Aware Wellington spokesman Patrick Morgan woke early yesterday to give one of the bikes a go – his trip costing him $1.

He said the one-speed system would possibly limit hill climbs but the bike was suited to cruising around the streets.

Plenty of people stopped him to inquire about the bike, Morgan said. ‘‘The bike rides well and it was a lot of fun. Any modern city has a bike share.’’

He hoped the council could work closely with Onzo to enable the capital to permanently implement the system.

While the seats were comfortable, they may be a little low for the taller rider, Morgan said, also noting the shared helmets could be a bit of a hurdle for some.

The ‘‘dockless’’ bike hire system doesn’t require special parking stations and will require users to download an app to find a bike.

Mayor Justin Lester said the scheme was a trial as there had been issues with bike shares in other places, including theft and vandalism. The council wanted to make sure any issues were ironed out before proceeding further.

Onzo chief operating officer Harry Yang has said Wellington’s cycling infrastructure work influenced his decision to bring the business to the capital.

Bikes would be regularly maintained and redistributed around the city, he said.