Last of oBikes plaguing Taipei to be eliminated by end of July

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/07/12
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — After much outcry by motorists, city officials, and residents over piles of oBikes strewn about when the bicycle-share craze was at its peak, the last of the abandoned bikes are to be cleared off the streets of Taipei by the end of this month, a year after the company behind them went belly up.

Chen Shyue-tair (陳學台), head of Taipei Department of Transportation on Thursday (July 11) announced that 7,000 oBikes being stored in impound lots are to be dismantled and sold for scrap metal, reported CNA. The last of the remaining derelict bikes are to be disposed of by the end of July, and the city pledges to make every effort to recover all outstanding impound and custody fees.

The first trial run of oBikes was launched in Taipei in May of 2017. Eventually, a total of 8,000 oBikes were unleashed on the streets of Taipei.

However, the Singapore-registered oBike filed for insolvency and ceased operations in June of 2018. The company's subsidiary in Taiwan, Aozhi Network Technology Co., announced it was laying off all its employees in October of 2018 and left thousands of bicycles scattered about the city.
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