Taipei to finish disposing of abandoned oBikes before August

Taipei July 11 (CNA) Taipei City Government will complete the disposal of nearly 7,000 bicycles abandoned by the now-defunct Singapore-based bike-sharing company oBike by the end of July, an official said Thursday.

The bicycles, currently being kept in impound lots, will be dismantled and sold as scrap metal, said Chen Shyue-tair (陳學台), head of Taipei Department of Transportation.

The city government will also seek payment of the NT$18.57 million in outstanding impound and custody fees owed by Aozhi Network Technology Co., the subsidiary that ran the oBike service in Taiwan, Chen said.

OBike launched trial operations in Taipei with about 8,000 bikes in May 2017.

After oBike ceased operation in Singapore in June 2018, the Taiwan subsidiary began to lay off staff in October that year, leading to numerous bicycles being abandoned across the city.

The city government towed most of the oBikes and began to dispose of them Thursday, Chen said.

oBikes cannot be traded as second-hand bikes because of their unique components which are not produced locally, he explained.

Furthermore, if they are traded as second-hand vehicles, it is possible some could mistakenly conclude oBike is still operating, he added.

There are a total of 6,926 oBikes in impound lots, and it is estimated each one will sell for around NT$70, according to an official at the city's Parking Management and Development Office.