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Bike Share

What is bike share?

Share bikes are a service where bicycles are made available to individuals on a short-term basis for a small cost. Share bikes must be unlocked, usually via an app, to be used. The service is a sustainable transport option which supports people in travelling to and from transportation hubs and to their final destination.

Share bikes are either docked or dockless services. Docked share bike schemes have locked parking spaces called docks which must be unlocked for operation and the bike must be returned to a dock for the hire to terminate.

There are currently no docked share bike schemes in Waverley LGA.

What is dockless bike share?

Dockless bike share provides a service where the share bikes are free-floating. These bikes are still locked but not to any docking infrastructure. These bikes are unlocked via an app for the specific bike share operator. They can be ridden anywhere a normal bike can be ridden but parking can be limited to within designated areas that are specified in the operator’s app.

Waverley Council does not own, operate or manage bike sharing services in the LGA. Private companies who choose to set up bike sharing services do not require our approval. All regulations that apply to these services are managed by the NSW Government. However, Council maintains ongoing communications with bike share providers to mitigate any issues for residents and achieve the best possible outcomes.

Why are share bikes useful?

Share bikes provide an option for Waverley residents (and people visiting Waverley) to get around without needing a car. When managed properly, they provide a useful way to get to local destinations and other transportation links like buses and trains.

Legislation for share bikes

Any legislation with respect to share bicycles is determined by the NSW Government. As yet there is no legislation regarding the establishment of a bicycle share company in NSW.

The Impounding Act under which there was a limited set of tools to control or restrict share bikes has now been repealed and replaced by the Public Spaces (Unattended Property) Act 2021.

The Office of Local Government has provided Councils with guidelines on three classes of items that may be considered unattended. Shared bikes falls under Class 2, Shared Services. Bike share operators should refer to the resources on unattended property rules, especially the associated Code of Practice if considering operations in Waverley. The rules for sharing services are summarised in the image below.

Current share bike operators

Please see below for contact details for the current bike share operators in the area. Please use these contact details if you have any issues with the placement of their bikes. If the response from the operator is inadequate, you are welcome to contact Council to follow up.

• Lime (white and green). Phone: 1800 861 305 or email support-au@li.me
  

• Beam (purple and black bike). Phone: 9052 0854 or email teamsupportau@ridebeam.com
  

• Neuron (orange bike). Phone: 5300 1306 or email sydneysupport@neuron.sg 
  
• Bird (blue bike) Phone: 03 4422 4587 or email : hello@bird.co
  
• Hello Bike (blue and white bike). Phone: 8006 8161 or email: serviceos@hellobike.com
  

Share bike deployment and parking

There are two aspects to consider when you find a share bike around Waverley: was it deliberately placed there (deployed) by the bike company or was it parked there by a user at the end of the trip.

• Deployment: Typically, share bike companies will neatly place their bikes on the footpath in an unobtrusive location at an angle to the kerb, sometimes this will be in groups of 2 or 3 and sometimes in greater numbers depending upon how many bikes are used from that location.  The bike companies have determined their locations for deployment. Waverley Council is trialling Share Bike Hubs in high use area to formalise these locations’ and hyperlink the words Share Bike Hubs to the attached document.  Please also include that document under Related Documents on that page.
• User parking: It is legal to park a share bike on the footpath if it is not causing an obstruction. Share bike companies may have additional guidance and restrictions on parking by either identifying preferred parking locations in busy areas or not permitting parking in specific locations that are dangerous. Generally, in commercial areas such as shopping hubs, share bikes can be parked on the footpath adjacent to the kerb. In residential areas, share bikes should also parked adjacent the kerb. Whilst there is flexibility in parking share bikes, they must never be parked where they are blocking a footpath, driveway or access to a building.

Share bikes and COVID-19

Share bike companies are registered COVID Safe businesses and should adhere to NSW Government advice regarding the cleaning and sanitisation of bicycles.

Share scooters

In NSW, electric scooters are illegal, regardless of whether they are personally owned or part of a share scooter service. The only instance where it is not illegal to use an electric scooter is when it is used on private property. Heavy fines are applied by NSW Police if electric scooters are used on public roads and footpaths.