As covered in many of our previous posts, bike hire is a fascinating part of the rental market of late. From new, innovative startups entering the space to local councils backing various initiatives, it appears the news is filled with new stories about bike hire.
However, with the collapse of several bike rental companies, confidence in such brands is waning. Just this week, City of York Council pulled the plug on a dockless bike hire scheme.
Having been assessing proposals that would have seen hundreds of bikes available for hire in York, councillors have decided to reject. This is despite getting the backing from the departments of Environment and Transport & Planning.
What the Council had to say
A spokesman for City of York Council said the following:
“Prior to the decision, we had spoken to a number of companies looking to introduce their product in York.
Following the decision, a number of these companies have ceased to trade.
Bike share is a changing market and we’ve been looking closely at the performance of the schemes in other UK cities.
It is only right that we take time to make sure that the we only introduce a product which will work for the city, and play a positive role promoting cycling and reducing congestion in the city.”
But, this is not the first time the Council has toyed with the idea of introducing bikes to the city. 2014 told a similar story, with the City of York Council dropping plans to roll out hire bikes as the provider went into administration.
Not wanting to gamble taxpayers’ money, it is understandable why they are erring on the side of caution.
Let us know what you think. Is there something that can be done to introduce stability back into the dockless bike hire industry? Share your thoughts with us.
