Mobike dumped in Jesmond Dene in May 2018 (credit @muckle_cc/Twitter)

Mobike, the on-demand bike sharing service, will remain in Jesmond despite withdrawing from other areas of Newcastle.

Mobike yanked its cycles from the streets of Manchester in August after incidents of vandalism and general misuse of the bikes. It has since downsized its presence in Newcastle, too.

The Mobike scheme launched in Newcastle in October 2017 and due to high demand, Mobike announced it was going to extend its operation further north of the city in February 2018 to include areas such as Gosforth and High West Jesmond.

After similar reports of misuse and vandalism, in September 2018 Mobike announced a new operating area on the map in their mobile app. The blue line on the map highlights the agreed area where users can access and responsibly park and lock the bikes.

Mobike Map, February 2018

Councillor Arlene Ainsley, cabinet member for transport and air quality at Newcastle City Council, told JesmondLocal that “following a number of incidents of vandalism and theft of bikes, Mobike has had to make changes to the areas where it operates in Newcastle.”

Andy Ross, a West Jesmond resident, said he thought the treatment of Mobikes had improved, with “not as many people dumping them anymore” compared to when they first arrived.

As a resident of Jesmond, Anne, 66 (who did not want to give her surname) said that she felt conflicted about the cycling operation.

“As an older person it’s worrying,” she said, “because people aren’t thinking about where they are leaving them”. She added that when the bikes block public pathways it becomes difficult for older people to get around.

Anne said that she felt that while the Mobike scheme encourages cycling and is “good for students”, users should be “more responsible” with where they park them after use.

Cllr Ainsley said that Newcastle City Council will continue to work with Mobike “to look at how to address the problems caused by a minority of users” and “would ask people to look after the bikes and to use them, [and] also park them responsibly” as “Mobike offers an affordable, alternative travel choice to many people in the city.”