Darebin scraps its shared e-bikes, the second Melbourne council to bail in six weeks

Shared e-bikes have lost another Melbourne council. On 28 August 2026, Darebin councillors voted to end a six-month trial with Lime across Northcote, Fairfield and Alphington, weeks after neighbouring Yarra ended its own long-running scheme. Two councils in the same corridor have now walked away inside six weeks.

Why Darebin pulled out

• Council officers found 93 per cent of resident feedback was negative
• The main complaints were bikes blocking footpaths, incorrect parking, and riders not wearing helmets
• The trial logged 14,725 trips over six months, about 98 a day, averaging 2.15 kilometres each
• Officers estimated the scheme saved roughly 1.16 tonnes of carbon emissions over the six months

Lime says it is geography, not failure

Lime's Asia-Pacific head, Will Peters, argued the outcome came down to geography rather than the idea failing: with Yarra already gone, the connecting corridor closed, and Darebin's network could no longer link to anywhere useful. Lime's broader point is that shared micromobility should be regulated at state level, not decided council by council, so a single local exit does not unravel a whole network.