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OBike has been a shocking failure in Australia. Not necessarily from a business perspective, but from an environmental one. Because they aren't physically lock

OBike has been a shocking failure in Australia. Not necessarily from a business perspective, but from an environmental one. Because they aren't physically locked onto anything, it has become a game to see what stupid place you can put an OBike. Recently they fished a couple of dozen out of the Yarra River. People think it's amusing to just abuse them. Half of them have the wheel lock broken off them, so they're free to ride. I think it's an Australian culture thing, there is a lack of respect for property. OBike seems to work a lot better in Singapore, where people have respect for property.

neumann 9y ago
Oh god yes. I live near a small creek in central melbourne. My morning commute passes usually 3-4 newly trashed O-bikes that have been ghostied into the creek, or recently fished out by a neighbour. I recently spotted a guy with a super nice camera stalking the riverbank and jokingly asked him if he was O-bike spotting. He replied that he was, I pointed him to two submerged on the other bank and he said he was making an arts film about O-Bikes coming to life and joining together like voltron. The company had even promised to donate some trashed O-Bikes to him. At this point, I wonder what their business model is.
- flukus 9y ago
  > At this point, I wonder what their business model is. Same as silicon valley, keep growing to attract more and more venture capital, worry about profitability later.
  - PhasmaFelis 9y ago
    Step 1: Build user base. Step 3: Profit.
NamTaf 9y ago
It's disappointing it occurs here but it's not uniquely Australian. I see a fair amount of bikes in similar states of disposal whenever I head over to China. That said, in the CBD area of major chinese cities these things are so ubiquitous that I suspect the company just accepts a mortality rate for them. The sibling comment is right, though; I don't know how you could run this successfully with that level of mortality rate eating into your bottom line.
crdb 9y ago
OBikes are wrecks in Singapore, because, it seems, oBike does not care about having staff to actually repair or maintain the bikes. We have a slightly more respectful population, perhaps, but it does not stop bikes from rusting, missing pedals or brakes, and so on. The rapid increase in the number of bikes has, thankfully, put a stop to the previous habit of taking out a part of the bike (usually pedal or seat) to put it out of action and thus "reserve" it. Fortunately there are now so many bike startups in Singapore that you have a wide choice to pick from, and all of them are currently free. I went to the market yesterday with my mother in law, her riding a Mobike and me an Ofo, both checked out with my account. Mobike seems the best run although I agree with the low seat problem (which is less of an issue in Asia). However, there are 3-4 different models at any one time so I suspect the company will iterate towards different models for different markets, including in size. Some of the engineering on the newer prototypes is quite interesting, and copied a few months later by Ofo, which seems to be the other company with actually active management (after a disastrous start with non-GPS-tracked bikes which were routinely "retired" by users). As for bad parking, it is a function of enforcement. In Singapore, the companies are fined a substantial amount per bike if the government has to come and clear them. So there is apparently a sub half hour pickup time for most if you report it parked incorrectly (e.g. in a bus lane). It sounds like Australian cities have not yet put their act together in that respect. Fine the companies $500 per bike dropped in a creek and watch the problem disappear...
Bendingo 9y ago
> there is a lack of respect for property Australians lack respect not just for (other's) property but for other people and society in general. In my opinion, Australians on the whole are rude and selfish.
- toomanybeersies 9y ago
  On the contrary, I find most Aussies to be helpful and friendly people. Rude, perhaps, but friendly. I guess it depends on where you live. South Eastern and Central Melbourne is a much nicer are than Bendigo (I assume you've at least been to Bendigo given your username).
  - victorhooi 9y ago
    No, Aussies have a bit of a "larrikin" streak, to use the polite term. As an Aussie, I'd term is as bordering on obnoxious and irresponsible at times - and it saddens me to write this. Whether in Europe, South America, or Asia, everybody has a funny story about what we've allegedly done - whether it's pissing on the eternal flame in Paris, stupid stunts with climbing temples in Cambodia, trying to plank on idiotic places in Singapore hotel balconies, or just general pranks. My parents are originally from Singapore, and like it or not, they at least have the law and order thing down pat. Look at the mess we've made with shopping trolleys from Coles/Woolworths... So don't blame the bike companies for us deciding to do stupid things with their property. It's like somebody blaming a shop for graffiti, because they left their wall empty...
    - toomanybeersies 9y ago
      I think you've replied to the wrong comment? I agree with you, you can't blame obikes littering for people throwing them in rivers and on roofs. You're damn right about Aussies (and also Brits and Kiwis) having stories about doing dumb shit overseas. It's almost a point of national pride, "hey, let me tell you about this time I disrespected an entire culture by pissing in an inappropriate location while pissed!".
beedogs 9y ago
> OBike seems to work a lot better in Singapore, where people have respect for property. Um... nope. It's just as bad in Singapore. https://mashable.com/2017/10/05/singapore-designated-parking-obike-mobike/#PyGiGrORzOqt https://mashable.com/2017/10/05/singapore-designated-parking... Stop blaming Australians for being fed up with companies who use littering as a business model. These shitty bikes are all over the public footpaths here and people are tired of it.
- toomanybeersies 9y ago
  The fact that the company uses littering as a business model does not excuse anyone who throws a bike in the Yarra or in the sea, that's just even worse.
- victorhooi 9y ago
  Sorry, but this is just being shifty and irresponsible. And how are they using littering as a business model? The bloody twats who are picking these up without paying and dumping them in a creek are the ones littering - it's like blaming the shopping centre for you stealing, because they had stuff for you to steal. Look at the mess Aussies have made with shopping trolleys from Coles/Woolworths. The supermarkets got so fed up they implemented locks on the wheels - nearly every supermarket here does this now. The only reason the bikes are worse is because they're lighter/easier to move than trolleys, and the locks aren't as hard to overcome as for trolleys. That, and Australia is in general very un-bike friendly. It's a cultural thing - we love our V6/V8 engines, our big SUVs, and our giant McMansions - we essentially copy the US in those traits. You compare this to say, Europe, or Japan which tend to be much more bike friendly.
  - flukus 9y ago
    > Sorry, but this is just being shifty and irresponsible. And how are they using littering as a business model? Their business model is leaving their shitty bikes all over public property. If you want to open a food stand you need a license and to comply with regulations, you can't just setup on any footpath, but oBikes are just left everywhere.
  - 9y ago
megablast 9y ago
So it works badly where you live, but works well in another location you have no idea about? Thanks for your logical feedback.
- toomanybeersies 9y ago
  If you must know, I swapped notes with my friend who lives in Singapore. People in Singapore have much more respect for the rules and following the rules, plus the consequences are more severe for breaking the rules. Meanwhile in Australia, bending and breaking the rules is a national sport. Also, the consequences for breaking the rules are much less severe. If a cop caught you throwing a bike into a tree or some other amusing place, they would most likely make you take it out of the tree and nothing more.
  - deleted 9y ago
    [deleted]
  - jakecopp 9y ago
    - Riding without a bicycle helmet: $319 - Riding furiously, recklessly or negligently (whatever that means): $425 - Cycling on footpath and over 12 years of age: $106 And people wonder why Australians break laws, these are fines in NSW (which includes Sydney). Trundling down the footpath to the shops on a Sunday morning: $425 fine! No wonder Sydney is so car centric.
- dang 9y ago
  Personal swipes are not allowed in HN comments. Please post civilly and substantively, or not at all. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
mb_72 9y ago
My wife and I visited Stockholm over the weekend, and walking around we saw two OBikes mingled in with what appeared to be otherwise well-organised and neatly piled up old Christmas trees. It was practically the only example of 'messiness' that we saw in the entire city (well, with what we could see via a 4-hour visit).

neumann 9y ago

Oh god yes. I live near a small creek in central melbourne. My morning commute passes usually 3-4 newly trashed O-bikes that have been ghostied into the creek, or recently fished out by a neighbour. I recently spotted a guy with a super nice camera stalking the riverbank and jokingly asked him if he was O-bike spotting. He replied that he was, I pointed him to two submerged on the other bank and he said he was making an arts film about O-Bikes coming to life and joining together like voltron. The company had even promised to donate some trashed O-Bikes to him. At this point, I wonder what their business model is.

flukus 9y ago
> At this point, I wonder what their business model is. Same as silicon valley, keep growing to attract more and more venture capital, worry about profitability later.
- PhasmaFelis 9y ago
  Step 1: Build user base. Step 3: Profit.

NamTaf 9y ago

It's disappointing it occurs here but it's not uniquely Australian. I see a fair amount of bikes in similar states of disposal whenever I head over to China. That said, in the CBD area of major chinese cities these things are so ubiquitous that I suspect the company just accepts a mortality rate for them. The sibling comment is right, though; I don't know how you could run this successfully with that level of mortality rate eating into your bottom line.

crdb 9y ago

OBikes are wrecks in Singapore, because, it seems, oBike does not care about having staff to actually repair or maintain the bikes. We have a slightly more respectful population, perhaps, but it does not stop bikes from rusting, missing pedals or brakes, and so on. The rapid increase in the number of bikes has, thankfully, put a stop to the previous habit of taking out a part of the bike (usually pedal or seat) to put it out of action and thus "reserve" it. Fortunately there are now so many bike startups in Singapore that you have a wide choice to pick from, and all of them are currently free. I went to the market yesterday with my mother in law, her riding a Mobike and me an Ofo, both checked out with my account. Mobike seems the best run although I agree with the low seat problem (which is less of an issue in Asia). However, there are 3-4 different models at any one time so I suspect the company will iterate towards different models for different markets, including in size. Some of the engineering on the newer prototypes is quite interesting, and copied a few months later by Ofo, which seems to be the other company with actually active management (after a disastrous start with non-GPS-tracked bikes which were routinely "retired" by users). As for bad parking, it is a function of enforcement. In Singapore, the companies are fined a substantial amount per bike if the government has to come and clear them. So there is apparently a sub half hour pickup time for most if you report it parked incorrectly (e.g. in a bus lane). It sounds like Australian cities have not yet put their act together in that respect. Fine the companies $500 per bike dropped in a creek and watch the problem disappear...

Bendingo 9y ago

> there is a lack of respect for property Australians lack respect not just for (other's) property but for other people and society in general. In my opinion, Australians on the whole are rude and selfish.

toomanybeersies 9y ago
On the contrary, I find most Aussies to be helpful and friendly people. Rude, perhaps, but friendly. I guess it depends on where you live. South Eastern and Central Melbourne is a much nicer are than Bendigo (I assume you've at least been to Bendigo given your username).
- victorhooi 9y ago
  No, Aussies have a bit of a "larrikin" streak, to use the polite term. As an Aussie, I'd term is as bordering on obnoxious and irresponsible at times - and it saddens me to write this. Whether in Europe, South America, or Asia, everybody has a funny story about what we've allegedly done - whether it's pissing on the eternal flame in Paris, stupid stunts with climbing temples in Cambodia, trying to plank on idiotic places in Singapore hotel balconies, or just general pranks. My parents are originally from Singapore, and like it or not, they at least have the law and order thing down pat. Look at the mess we've made with shopping trolleys from Coles/Woolworths... So don't blame the bike companies for us deciding to do stupid things with their property. It's like somebody blaming a shop for graffiti, because they left their wall empty...
  - toomanybeersies 9y ago
    I think you've replied to the wrong comment? I agree with you, you can't blame obikes littering for people throwing them in rivers and on roofs. You're damn right about Aussies (and also Brits and Kiwis) having stories about doing dumb shit overseas. It's almost a point of national pride, "hey, let me tell you about this time I disrespected an entire culture by pissing in an inappropriate location while pissed!".

beedogs 9y ago

> OBike seems to work a lot better in Singapore, where people have respect for property. Um... nope. It's just as bad in Singapore. https://mashable.com/2017/10/05/singapore-designated-parking-obike-mobike/#PyGiGrORzOqt https://mashable.com/2017/10/05/singapore-designated-parking... Stop blaming Australians for being fed up with companies who use littering as a business model. These shitty bikes are all over the public footpaths here and people are tired of it.

toomanybeersies 9y ago
The fact that the company uses littering as a business model does not excuse anyone who throws a bike in the Yarra or in the sea, that's just even worse.
victorhooi 9y ago
Sorry, but this is just being shifty and irresponsible. And how are they using littering as a business model? The bloody twats who are picking these up without paying and dumping them in a creek are the ones littering - it's like blaming the shopping centre for you stealing, because they had stuff for you to steal. Look at the mess Aussies have made with shopping trolleys from Coles/Woolworths. The supermarkets got so fed up they implemented locks on the wheels - nearly every supermarket here does this now. The only reason the bikes are worse is because they're lighter/easier to move than trolleys, and the locks aren't as hard to overcome as for trolleys. That, and Australia is in general very un-bike friendly. It's a cultural thing - we love our V6/V8 engines, our big SUVs, and our giant McMansions - we essentially copy the US in those traits. You compare this to say, Europe, or Japan which tend to be much more bike friendly.
- flukus 9y ago
  > Sorry, but this is just being shifty and irresponsible. And how are they using littering as a business model? Their business model is leaving their shitty bikes all over public property. If you want to open a food stand you need a license and to comply with regulations, you can't just setup on any footpath, but oBikes are just left everywhere.
- 9y ago

megablast 9y ago

So it works badly where you live, but works well in another location you have no idea about? Thanks for your logical feedback.

toomanybeersies 9y ago
If you must know, I swapped notes with my friend who lives in Singapore. People in Singapore have much more respect for the rules and following the rules, plus the consequences are more severe for breaking the rules. Meanwhile in Australia, bending and breaking the rules is a national sport. Also, the consequences for breaking the rules are much less severe. If a cop caught you throwing a bike into a tree or some other amusing place, they would most likely make you take it out of the tree and nothing more.
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
- jakecopp 9y ago
  - Riding without a bicycle helmet: $319 - Riding furiously, recklessly or negligently (whatever that means): $425 - Cycling on footpath and over 12 years of age: $106 And people wonder why Australians break laws, these are fines in NSW (which includes Sydney). Trundling down the footpath to the shops on a Sunday morning: $425 fine! No wonder Sydney is so car centric.
dang 9y ago
Personal swipes are not allowed in HN comments. Please post civilly and substantively, or not at all. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

mb_72 9y ago

My wife and I visited Stockholm over the weekend, and walking around we saw two OBikes mingled in with what appeared to be otherwise well-organised and neatly piled up old Christmas trees. It was practically the only example of 'messiness' that we saw in the entire city (well, with what we could see via a 4-hour visit).