MOBIKE has confirmed that it has no plans to leave Oxford – after the company warned it may pull out of Manchester – and suggested ‘education’ is the best way to stop dockless bikes being unceremoniously dumped around the city.

The Chinese company has claimed that bike loss in Oxford is at an ‘acceptable’ level compared to its other British operations in London, Manchester, Newcastle and Cambridge.

Oxford Mail:

Global communications and marketing leader Steve Milton explained that due to a number of factors in Manchester the company is losing about ‘10 per cent’ of its bikes each month – ‘much higher than what we expect and everywhere else’, including Oxford.

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That has led to a threat to leave the northern city if the situation continues – but the warning does not apply here.

Oxford Mail:

Mr Milton said: “There is nothing on our horizon for leaving Oxford.

“Oxford is nowhere near the level of Manchester.

“Loss is at an acceptable level [here], we are well within our parameters. That said, we want to work with the city council, police and residents to make sure the scheme is working well.

“We have implemented a geographical fence and that is working quite well.”

The Mobike scheme, which launched in Oxford in October and has been expanding since, faces competition from Ofo and Pony, while the city’s original bike sharing scheme, Oxonbikes, shut down with immediate effect earlier this month.

All of the schemes have faced a barrage of criticism following repeated incidents of users parking the bikes in various unsuitable places.

While recognising the health and environmental benefits of the initiative, many have urged the hire firms to take more responsibility for bikes being left on the city’s pavements – and potentially becoming a hazard for pedestrians, especially the disabled.

However, Mr Milton insisted that ‘overall it’s going well in Oxford’ and that more education was the best way to ensure dockless parking did not become a long-term issue.

He continued: “Educating our users is the best way to avoid docking problems.

“We want to promote in our app the right places to park. There are ‘no parking’ areas listed in the app.”

Oxford Mail:

Mr Milton said he was not against the idea of installing permanent docks for bikes around the city – but said Mobike would not contribute financially to such a project.

Insisting that he wanted to meet the city 'in the middle' he said: “We could work with the city council to put a city-funded docking scheme in.

"There are (also) a lot of private bikes in the wrong place.”

Mobike’s parking advice is:

• Park within the city’s operating area, marked out in blue in the Mobike app. You are welcome to ride outside of this area, but we ask that you finish your journey within the area to avoid incurring a service fee.

• Park alongside public bicycle racks (ensuring you leave enough room for other bicycles).

• Park alongside existing footway obstructions such as trees or a lamp-posts.

• Consider the needs of pedestrians, especially those who are blind, partially sighted or using pushchairs or wheelchairs.

• Park where other Mobikes are present and make a compact row.