The councils believe the bikes will be suited to commuters making short dashes around the city, though tram trips within the CBD are already free. "Hopefully people will use them but if the price of the bikes is even more expensive than using public transport it's very hard to see how it will attract people out of cars," Daniel Bowen from the Public Transport Users Association said. To book a bike, users will open the Uber app and switch the app to view bike options. Available bikes will appear on a map, which will be unlockable through the app or by scanning a QR code on the bike's handlebars.

Once a ride is completed, users will lock the bike using a cable lock, which will also secure the helmet for the next rider. E-bikes look like standard pedal-driven bicycles but have additional power provided by an electric battery, making them easier to ride. A helmet must be worn when riding the bikes, which have a top speed of 25km/h. Dozens of oBikes were dragged from the Yarra. Credit:Joe Armao The scheme comes two years after the disastrous oBike scheme – which saw yellow share bikes ditched on footpaths or dumped in the Yarra – and the removal of Melbourne's blue bikes. Councils hope the Jump bikes will not be treated in a similar way.

The e-bikes will be gradually introduced, unlike the estimated 3000 oBikes that were dumped on Melbourne's streets in 2017 without the permission of local councils. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video "The first time we had a share bike it was problematic because oBikes were clunky bikes, they were flooded into areas and littered on the pavement and they were not looked after. They developed a culture that basically led to them basically [being] expelled from Melbourne," Port Phillip councillor Dick Gross said. GPS technology will show where each bike is parked. Jump said the bikes would be checked on every 24 to 48 hours to ensure they are charged and haven't been vandalised. "We can see them on this map. They're all GPS tracked and if they're parked in the wrong spot, we go and move them," Jump by Uber general manager Henry Greenacre said.

Cyclists trying to park the bikes in undesirable locations will receive a notification on the Uber app and will be fined $15 by Uber if they ignore this. The bikes also weigh 32 kilograms, and can't be so flippantly vandalised. "You try lifting 32 kilos, you’ve got to be a weightlifter to be able to do that. You can't put them up a tree," Yarra Councillor Jackie Fristacky told reporters on Tuesday.

OBikes weighed closer to 20 kilograms. Loading Cr Fristacky has arthritic knees but said electric bikes, which she has been using for 12 years, have allowed her to cut down on driving by about 90 per cent. Cr Gross said e-bikes allowed anyone to cycle. "Because I'm an old fart, I sometimes cycle distances that make me tired, sweaty, unable to work in the way I want to. I have made the transition to e-bikes, I thought I'd never make that transition but I have, and I love it."