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Bike hire to aid dire Sydney commute

Start-up business Reddy Go is set to be the first bike-sharing provider in Sydney with its hire bicycles to hit city streets next month.

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Source: AAP


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Sydney is gearing up for its first shared pedal-power service, bringing the nation's largest city into line with almost every other capital.

Bike-sharing start-up Reddy Go is advertising a number of positions for its smartphone application hire service with the first distribution of red bicycles to hit streets in July.

However, unlike heavily criticised CityCycle in Brisbane and RACV's Bike Share in Melbourne, Reddy Go's bicycles are dockless, all come with a helmet, and can be individually located through GPS-tracking on a user's phone.

"Our powerful IT-based bike management system is able to give users easy and smart ways to locate, book, unlock, ride and re-lock a bike through a simple smartphone app," the company's job search post reads.

"Users can easily park the bike wherever it is safe and legal to do so after each ride."

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While the City of Sydney isn't putting brakes on the project, the council does have concerns.

"Several operators have approached the City and we have encouraged them to consider issues such as compulsory helmets, bike maintenance, insurance, re-distribution and use of public space," a council spokeswoman told AAP on Monday.

"We have stressed that safety, especially in areas where there are lots of people walking, needs to come first."

The council has "no jurisdiction to allow or disallow bike-share operators", she said, adding that Lord Mayor Clover Moore has written to Premier Gladys Berejiklian asking for a plan to manage those in the public domain.

Bike-share operators, she said, have expressed the desire to roll out Sydney-wide, not just in their council area.

"In other cities, the biggest impacts have been around train stations and bus stops where bike share is popular for 'last leg' journeys," the spokeswoman said.

"Of particular concern is regulation around where and how bicycles will be parked and managed."

She said a lack of safe cycling infrastructure and mandatory helmet laws has discouraged users in other major cities but City of Sydney has been working with Randwick and Inner West councils on a study of bike-share feasibility.


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