Bike Share Back Again
Updated: Sep 22, 2021
In early March 2020, a new bike-share company JUMP introduced 400 new bikes to the City of Melbourne, with the City of Yarra and City of Port Philip to follow. Bike-share schemes are not unfamiliar to Glenferrie Hawthorn. Many remember the O-Bike introduced in 2017, which failed due to deliberate damage and lack of accountability. The state government removed the city's blue bike-share program in December 2019 after nine years of operation due to underuse and financial losses. Since then, Melbourne has been quiet on the bike-share front.
JUMP bikes differ from bike-shares of the past in that they are electric bikes which can reach a top speed of 25km/h. JUMP is owned by ride-share service Uber, and bikes can be booked using the Uber app. The bikes are only permitted to end their ride in certain areas of Melbourne, presently predominately around the Melbourne CBD. The bikes are monitored by JUMP 24/7 using GPS and non-parking zones are clearly outlined in the Uber app. If the bike is left in a non-parking zone, the user will be charged a penalty of $15. Repeat offenders may lose access to their Uber account, including the use of bike-share, ride-share, and Uber Eats services. Once JUMP is notified that a bike has been left outside the permitted zone, they arrange to remove it within 24 hours.
The City of Boroondara currently has no agreement with JUMP and therefore the bikes are not (yet) permitted to end their ride in our municipality. On 10 March two JUMP bikes were parked on Hawthorn Grove, Hawthorn outside Rococo and they were removed by the next morning. Prompt removal of the bikes from non-parking zones falls in-line with the updated City of Boroondara Local Amenity Laws, released 20 December 2019 and valid until 20 December 2029.
The success of this new bike-share scheme depends on JUMP's management, users, and the wider community. The community must remember we have a responsibility to respect these schemes as they provide greater mobility options while working toward a more sustainable transport future.
