oBike, the first bicycle sharing company in Malaysia has got into trouble with the city council of Petaling Jaya. The Star has reported that MBPJ has been on the move to remove any bicycles that were simply parked on unauthorized places, quoting that the parked bicycles were causing obstruction. Upon reaching a destination, oBike doesn’t require the user to park the bikes at any designated spots, and there isn’t a lot of dedicated parking spots for bicycles around the city, hence this will eventually happen.
oBike now has over 20,000 registered users and charges RM1 for every 15 minutes, out of 40% of that figure are tertiary students. The Mayor of Petaling Jaya, Datuk Mohd Azizi Mohd Zain, has also revealed that oBike hasn’t been registered with the city council and hence, it is an unlicensed business. On the other hand, oBike’s marketing manager Elaine Chan has mentioned to The Star that the company is aware of this situation and currently working out with MBPJ authorities, quoting that it is a misunderstanding and there were no regulations to bike sharing services at this point of time, the company has faced no problems with the Subang Jaya city council and they have received an approval by writing an official letter.
Datuk Mohd Azizi says that the city council is supportive of oBike as it provides an alternative transport mode of public transportation, however it needs to be regulated properly. If you have been enjoying the convenience of oBike, we do urge you to park the bicycles properly in areas that doesn’t obstruct pedestrian walkways and traffic.
