Melbourne council votes to scrap Lime ebikes after failing to meet ‘bare minimum standards’

Lime ebikes will no longer be available to rent on the streets of Yarra in Melbourne after the council voted to scrap a trial of the share bikes. Photograph: Alex MacNaughton/Alamy View image in fullscreen Lime ebikes will no longer be available to rent on the streets of Yarra in Melbourne after the council voted to scrap a trial of the share bikes. Photograph: Alex MacNaughton/Alamy Melbourne council votes to scrap Lime ebikes after failing to meet ‘bare minimum standards’ City of Yarra councillors end trial, claiming the company has not done enough to stop dumping and misuse of share bikes Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Shared ebikes will disappear from some inner-city Melbourne streets after a council scrapped its agreement with Australia’s largest electric bike operator. The City of Yarra on Tuesday voted to end its memorandum of understanding with Lime, terminating its almost six-year-long trial. Though some councillors noted shared ebikes were an affordable and environmentally friendly transport option, others said the operator had not done enough to prevent users from blocking footpaths, dumping ebikes or riding while drunk. The best new cycling and ebike trails in Melbourne and surrounds Read more “There are two issues here: shared ebike users who refuse to follow the rules and show no consideration for others, and an operator which has demonstrated it cannot or will not manage its operations so that the community members are safe on Yarra streets,” the deputy mayor, Sharon Harrison, said. “We must prioritise the needs of pedestrians on our footpaths, we have legal obligations, and that’s the bottom line.” Sign up for the Breaking News Australia email The termination of the agreement means Lime will have 30 days to end its operations in the area once notice has been given by the council. The City of Yarra’s jurisdiction, which encompasses Fitzroy, Richmond and Carlton North, boasts some of the highest rates of shared ebike use in Australia, with Lime estimating roughly 614 trips were made every day since January 2025. Lime has made about $2.5m from the area, according to council figures. But the council has not earned anything from the ebike scheme due to the terms of its agreement with the company. “They’re actually taking the mickey,” the mayor, Stephen Jolly, said. The shared memorandum of understanding was intended to be a rolling, one-year trial, and a permanent ebike sharing scheme would have allowed the council to receive a payment from an operator. The council had begun a procurement process in December, but Lime was the only company to apply through the tender process. skip past newsletter promotion after newsletter promotion Lime wants its ebikes to take over the streets – but do they pass our safety test? Read more Councillors on Tuesday also voted not to award the contract to Lime. “We’re not saying no to ebikes – people can have their own pri