MELBOURNE, June 1 (Xinhua) -- A "dockless" bicycle sharing system will soon hit Melbourne, it was announced on Thursday.
The system, which has been compared to popular ridesharing services such as Uber, allows customers to locate, unlock, ride and pay for the use of a bike using a mobile application.
Transport for Victoria, the agency that manages all public transit in Victoria, has monitored a series of similar systems overseas and met with companies optimistic of operating the bikes in Melbourne.
The agency said that customers would have a greater flexibility under the system because they would not have to return the bikes to a dock.
oBike, which runs a bike-sharing scheme in Singapore, on Thursday announced its intention to launch the service in Melbourne.
In the announcement, posted on the company's website, oBike said users would be charged 1.5 U.S. dollars for 30 minutes of bike use.
Despite oBike's announcement, Victorian Roads Minister Luke Donnellan said that government officials would continue to meet with interested companies to ensure the best result for Melbourne.
"We support new and innovative businesses choosing Victoria, and we welcome moves to get more people on bikes," Donnellan told Australian media on Thursday.
"But we'll be making sure that these companies comply with our laws and community expectations."
However, the idea is facing some opposition with Harold Scruby, chairman of the Pedestrian Council of Australia, raising concerns that the bikes could end up littered across Melbourne.
"Melbourne is already the capital for parking motorbikes on footpaths and bicycles could be next," Scruby said.
"Councils always put pedestrians last when we make up 92 per cent of CBD road users."
