Invasion of the Dockless Bikes

New technology shook up the for-hire carservice market, and now it’s threatening to do the same to another form of public transit: bicycling.

As The Post reported this week, five companies plan to bring thousands of short-rental bikes to the city — much like Citi Bikes, except they won’t need docking stations. Instead, they’ll just steal public space.

With GPS locating devices and a mechanism that can lock or unlock the back tire via an app, the bikes can be left pretty much anywhere. Current laws may not prevent boatloads of bicycles from clogging sidewalks or otherwise jeopardizing safety.

The city Department of Transportation was clearly right to start asking about the companies’ plans (and insurance). And the City Council is wise to consider new regulations.

What the city shouldn’t do is make it impossible for firms to provide services, at their own financial risk, that the council would have Citi Bike offer at taxpayers’ expense.

That’s right: In its official response this week to Mayor de Blasio’s preliminary budget, the council calls for a $12 million handout to Citi Bikes to expand service outside Manhattan. And that’s just to start.

But why boost Citi Bike’s monopoly with public dollars when private companies may be able to do the job with no subsidies? One firm, Spin, already plans to target areas outside Citi Bike’s domain, such as on Staten Island and north of 116th Street in Manhattan.

When then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg first rolled out his Citi Bike plan in 2012, he promised it wouldn’t cost taxpayers a dime. It still shouldn’t — especially if new technology, properly regulated, can foster a free market for bike-sharing.

No, don’t let the new competitors wreak havoc — but do make them serve the city.