Hundreds of black and yellow bikes can be seen on the streets of Wellington as the city starts a six month trial of a bike share scheme.
The trail includes 200 single-speed bikes, which is operated by Auckland bike-sharing company Onzo.
The bikes cost 25 cents to operate for 15 minutes and are activated through a free mobile app. Helmets are included with the rental. Each bike is monitored by GPS, which informs riders and Onzo staff of the bike’s location, and provides statistics to riders.
The trial began on the 6th of October and follows a Onzo’s successful implementation in Auckland. Onzo in Auckland currently offers 1,541 bikes, and plans to expand with two and a half thousand e-scooters.
Mayor of Wellington Justin Lester is pleased with the initial uptake of the service, and says it should prove useful for students, particularly those at the sea-level campuses. He noted that students at Kelburn may have more difficulty, though he quipped that “downhill will be great”.
Students seem to have echoed this sentiment. Holly Williams, a second-year student at Pipitea and Kelburn, said that the bikes seemed to be “a cheap and easy way to get around the city”.
An unofficial Onzo race up Mt Victoria, posted as a Facebook event, has attracted over 700 people. The trial seems to have been received more warmly than other public transport schemes in Wellington. Despite concerns of vandalism raised online, Williams noted “the cheesy grins of everyone using the bikes for the first time were pretty wholesome”.