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Brussels to regulate 'free-floating' bike hire schemes

23:34 13/12/2017

Brussels' new app-based bike-sharing services will have to obtain a licence and follow a code of conduct, in what the city claims is the first European move to regulate "free-floating" cycle schemes.

Shared bikes left abandoned against trees, lampposts and in the middle of pavements have become a familiar sight since oBike, Billy Bike and GoBee Bike launched in Brussels with a total fleet of 850 bicycles.

Unlike Villo, the new entrants on the market do not use docking stations, with users locating their nearest bike via a smartphone app, scanning a QR code to unlock it, and then leaving the bike at their chosen destination.

Brussels mobility minister Pascal Smet has put forward a draft order requiring free-floating providers to register with the region and acquire a licence. Bike hire firms will be able to have their say during a consultation period and Smet hopes the rules will be adopted next year.

He said that while Brussels welcomed private-sector investment in cycling, there needed to be "a clear framework that maximises the positive impact on mobility and minimises the negative impact on public spaces and road safety".

The code of conduct will define certain parts of the city where bikes cannot be abandoned because they are an eyesore - including the Grand-Place.

Bike numbers will be limited around railway stations to avoid cluttering the public space, meaning hire firms will have to monitor journey use in real-time and remove excess bikes from some locations.

Providers must remove a damaged or badly parked bike within 24 hours of being alerted to the problem. The draft order also says bikes must be in a good condition and meet safety and comfort requirements.

Authorities will be able to remove bicycles in breach of the rules and send the bill to the hire provider. Firms that repeatedly flout the rules could be called in for a disciplinary hearing and face fines or the withdrawal of their licence.