A Taichung City Government official has warned the Singapore-based oBike rental system to stay away from the municipality, vowing to “tow every oBike in the city.”
Unlike the YouBike system in Taipei and New Taipei City, oBike does not rely on bicycle stations; its bicycles can be rented and left anywhere in the region using the oBike mobile app.
Each bike is fitted with a GPS tracker enabling the company to find and retrieve bikes.
Taichung’s iBike system has more than 6,000 bicycles at more than 213 stations, Taichung Transportation Bureau Director-General Wang Yi-chuan (王義川) said on Thursday, adding that daily ridership exceeds 20,000.
More than 10 million people have registered for the system since its launch, he said.
Wang said he has told oBike representatives that the company must offer a clear system for the management of its bicycles and users must not leave bikes outside of designated zones.
If the company is unable to meet the requirements, it should stay out of Taichung, Wang said.
The company claims to be a bike-sharing company, but it is a bike rental company, he said, adding that true-bike sharing is offering one’s own bikes to others free of charge, and the city government would not stand for a company occupying public roads for its own profit.
The iBike system has fixed stations for bikes, as well as maintenance services performed by contracted companies, Wang said, adding that with the iBike system, there is order, but the oBike system has brought chaos.
Regarding the company continuing to ship its bikes to Taichung, Wang said the city government would remove the bikes — although he did not say where — by administrative order even if the bikes were parked in a designated area.
Taichung would follow New Taipei City’s lead on deciding whether to impose fines on the company to return the impounded bikes, Wang said.
Bikes that are parked outside designated areas would be immediately impounded and the person coming to claim the bike would be fined NT$750 for illegal parking and removal and storage fees, Wang said.
Each oBike is worth about NT$3,000 in overhead, and four fines would be the equivalent of the company losing one bike, Wang said, adding that he hopes the firm will not challenge the city’s authority.
Separately, Changhua County on Thursday welcomed the oBike system.
The Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Wanda-Zhonghe Line is 81.7 percent complete, with public opening targeted for the end of 2027, New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said today. Surrounding roads are to be open to the public by the end of next year, Hou said during an inspection of construction progress. The 9.5km line, featuring nine underground stations and one depot, is expected to connect Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall Station to Chukuang Station in New Taipei City’s Jhonghe District (中和). All 18 tunnels for the line are complete, while the main structures of the stations and depot are mostly finished, he
The first global hotel Keys Selection by the Michelin Guide includes four hotels in Taiwan, Michelin announced yesterday. All four received the “Michelin One Key,” indicating guests are to experience a “very special stay” at any of the locations as the establishments are “a true gem with personality. Service always goes the extra mile, and the hotel provides much more than others in its price range.” Of the four hotels, three are located in Taipei and one in Taichung. In Taipei, the One Key accolades were awarded to the Capella Taipei, Kimpton Da An Taipei and Mandarin Oriental Taipei. Capella Taipei was described by
Taipei is to implement widespread road closures around Taipei 101 on Friday to make way for large crowds during the Double Ten National Day celebration, the Taipei Department of Transportation said. A four-minute fireworks display is to be launched from the skyscraper, along with a performance by 500 drones flying in formation above the nearby Nanshan A21 site, starting at 10pm. Vehicle restrictions would occur in phases, they said. From 5pm to 9pm, inner lanes of Songshou Road between Taipei City Hall and Taipei 101 are to be closed, with only the outer lanes remaining open. Between 9pm and 9:40pm, the section is
The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Vancouver, Canada, on Saturday hosted a reception to celebrate Double Ten National Day. Conservative Canadian lawmaker Marc Dalton called Taiwan a “beacon of courage and resilience in the face of rising authoritarianism,” according to a post on the Taiwan in Vancouver Facebook page. Also in attendance were fellow conservative caucus members Tako Van Popta and Chak Au, who said that Taiwan plays an “indispensable role” in ensuring global peace, prosperity and stability due to its strategic position in the Indo-Pacific region, it said. Canadian lawmaker Michael Cooper also recorded a message wishing Taiwan a