Nextbike has put the brakes on its Cardiff and Vale fleets after an escalation in vandalism, theft and abuse towards staff members
said nextbike’s UK Managing Director, Krysia Solheim. Photo credit: nextbike
A bike-sharing scheme has been put on hold until next year, after over half of its bikes in Cardiff were stolen or damaged beyond repair.
Nextbike said more than 300 bikes have been stolen and 260 had to be scrapped due to vandalism since they launched the Cardiff scheme in 2018. Staff have also been threatened when recovering bikes. Various incidents have been reported, including an employee being urinated on, and another being chased with a shovel.
The company warned that the service could end permanently if the situation does not improve when they relaunch next year.
The announcement is likely to have negative environmental effects. The company said that nextbike users in Cardiff and Vale have cycled for 3 million km since its launch, which has prevented 351 tonnes of carbon entering the atmosphere, or having planted almost 16,000 trees.
Vale of Glamorgan councillor for Neighbourhood Services and Transport Peter King said that the cycling scheme is part of the council’s commitment to reducing carbon emissions. He hopes to see the bikes back on the streets soon.
An employee was urinated on, and another was chased with a shovel
However, nextbike’s UK managing director Krysia Solheim says that staff “simply cannot keep up” with current vandalism levels.
“The amount of vandalism and theft that we have seen is simply staggering and not something we’ve experienced to the same extent anywhere else in the UK,” she said.
Krysia said that the company is trying to find ways to keep bikes safe after the relaunch, such as CCTV, street lighting and body cameras for staff.
She said that only a small minority of people are causing the damage and nextbike are working with the police and local authorities to deter this behaviour.
Read more about cycling in Cardiff here.
Three ways that you can make your journey to work more eco-friendly
- Walk, cycle or use public transport. According to Statista, transportation is the most polluting sector in the United Kingdom and represented 27% of our total greenhouse gas emissions in 2019.
- Drink your coffee from a re-useable cup. According to a report from the House of Commons environmental audit committee in 2017, Britain goes through 2.5 billion coffee cups every year and only one in 400 cups gets recycled.
- Throw your cigarette butts in the bin. According to the Truth Initiative, it takes at least nine months for a cigarette butt to degrade and the compounds can be acutely harmful to wildlife.