Bicycle sharing
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Not too long ago, Chinese start-up MoBike announced that they're planning to expand their bicycle-sharing service to Singapore this year, but it seems like another Chinese company has quietly made its move in our city.
Now you can live your dreams of cycling to work like the cool cats on TV do, without even having to invest in a bicycle. These single-gear oBikes decked out in white and orange have now rolled out in the northern, central and western parts of Singapore at MRT stations such as Boon Lay, Jurong East, Redhill, Choa Chu Kang, Woodlands, Sengkang and more. If the whole thing sounds surprisingly similar to MoBike, that’s because it is. Instead of renting and returning a bicycle at a designated docking station, you can do the same at any public bicycle parking space (or wherever it’s located on in-app map, as the bicycles are tracked via GPS at all times) for $1 every half hour. It's really easy to get started-download the app on Google Play or Apple's App Store, sign up and pay a deposit of $50 for the first use and look for an available bike for hire on the map. Use your phone to scan the QR code on the bike to unlock it and hop on. The rental ends the moment you've manually locked the bike. Simple.
The only downside to it at the moment is if anyone actually keeps it in their home and uses it as their own private bike. Don’t do that; everyone wants nice things too. More info here.
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A third bicycle sharing company wheeled its way into Singapore
Just three weeks ago, we reported that Chinese bicycle-sharing start-up oBike quietly made its mark with its fleet of user-friendly bikes that have since expanded from MRT stations and into the neighborhoods (a sign that people are quickly picking up the trend). Now, there’s another new player in the game.
Chinese company Ofo, which operates mainly in Beijing and Shanghai, has already released about 1,000 of their bikes to neighborhoods like West Coast and Punggol, as well as the CBD. Just like the other two competitor bike-sharing services MoBike (which recently received funding from Singapore state investor Temasek Holdings and hedg funde Hillhouse Capital) and oBike, Ofo's bright yellow single-gear bikes have a lock on the real wheel which you can unlock through an app. Enter the bike’s unique serial number and you'll receive a passcode to enter into the lock. However, unlike oBike, you don't have to pay a deposit before going on a ride using Ofo’s bikes. They even have a super competitive fee of 50 cents per trip, compared to oBikes $1 per half hour. However, the downside is that its user interface doesn't have a map to show you where their bikes are available, something which oBike has already implemented in its app.
With these three bike-sharing services and Land Transport Authority’s proposed national bike-sharing pilot that’s slated to launch in the fourth quarter, you can soon get from Jurong to Punggol via the city’s park connectors and cycling networks without having to invest in your own bicycle (just your own fitness!). More info on Ofo bikes here.
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Wheels may come off for bike rental firms
New bike-sharing rival charges less and uses rent-free space in public parks
A bicycle-sharing company from China has provoked the ire of its Singapore counterparts, which are crying foul.
ofo, headquartered in Beijing, is conducting business at some public parks without having to pay rent for using the public space.
Last week, a Straits Times check found ofo had parked at least 40 of its yellow bikes illegally at motorcycle parking spaces in Pasir Ris Park.
Its charge of 50 cents a trip is a cutthroat price that makes Singapore bike rental businesses see red, as they typically charge about $7 to $8 for an hour of use.
"It's unfair because they are using public facilities for profit and they don't have to pay rent," said Mr Adrian Koh, manager of Coastline Leisure, which operates in Pasir Ris Park and East Coast Park.
SO UNFAIR
It's unfair because they are using public facilities for profit and they don't have to pay rent.
MR ADRIAN KOH, manager of Coastline Leisure, a bike rental business that operates in Pasir Ris Park and East Coast Park.
Businesses like Mr Koh's have to win a public tender to operate in public parks. They can sell drinks and snacks and rent out bikes from small sheds.
Mr Koh declined to disclose the monthly rent Coastline pays the National Parks Board (NParks) but said his business operates under "very heavy costs".
UBER-LIKE REVOLUTION FOR BICYCLES
This reminds me of the early days of Uber, which came in and exploited the regulatory grey area.
SIM UNIVERSITY TRANSPORT EXPERT PARK BYUNG JOON
Coastline rents out bikes from $7 an hour. It says business at Pasir Ris Park has gone down by 30 to 50 per cent since bike-share companies like ofo appeared.
ofo's presence and the disquiet it has created is akin to how Uber disrupted the taxi business, causing cabbies' earnings to drop.
The newcomer also operates in other areas, such as West Coast Park.
WHAT A JOY RIDE
It's so cheap and I can use it for as long as I want. Opting for it is a no-brainer.
PASIR RIS RESIDENT WILLY LIM, an auditor, who welcomes ofo's 50 cents charge.
NParks told The Straits Times it is aware only that ofo's bicycles are parked at West Coast Park. It did not say whether it would take action.
Its group director for parks, Mr Chia Seng Jiang, added: "We'd like to take this opportunity to remind park users of these bicycles to park at designated bicycle bays, as the other spaces are meant for other uses."
ofo, which began operations three weeks ago, told The Straits Times two weeks ago it has put out about 1,000 bikes for rent.
Many are placed in public parks and at MRT stations.
When asked why its bikes were parked illegally, its spokesman said they were placed there after being unloaded and would be moved to public bicycle racks in the park "as soon as possible".
On Friday night, the bikes were no longer parked in the motorcycle spaces.
ofo's low fee was welcomed by Singaporeans interviewed. Auditor and Pasir Ris resident Willy Lim, 30, said: "It's so cheap and I can use it for as long as I want. Opting for it is a no-brainer."
Renting an ofo bike is also convenient as users do not have to return the machines at fixed stations - a standard feature of bike-share schemes worldwide.
They unlock the bikes with their smartphones and can return them at any place where bicycles can be parked.
This novel approach has been adopted by local firm Obike, which began operating last month. Its bikes are found mostly at MRT stations.
Experts have raised the concern that both companies, which have rapid expansion plans, could lead to bicycles being parked indiscriminately.
But the authorities are adopting a wait-and-see approach.
SIM University transport expert Park Byung Joon said: "This reminds me of the early days of Uber, which came in and exploited the regulatory grey area."
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) said the two companies could "serve as a catalyst to promote greater take-up of cycling" and that it would continue to monitor and engage them as their services are "still evolving".
It added that bikes can be removed if they obstruct people or are indiscriminately parked, noting: "We're monitoring the situation closely to assess if further measures need to be taken."
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Bike-sharing companies are flooding the market, but this one insists its bikes are smartest
Singapore now has a third bike-sharing company in just a few months.
One of China's largest bike-sharing firms, Mobike launched here on Tuesday, adding to the growing list of bike-sharing companies that have mushroomed.
Like many of its competitors, the bikes are stationless, so users are meant to just leave them on the side of the street and walk away when they're done.
But this convenience has led to issues like theft and even vandalism in countries like China, with many hogging the bikes by locking them in their private compounds.
Mobike, which deals with this issue in China on a daily basis, seems confident that its bikes' smarts will help it counter the problem.
"We have the technology advantage," said Florian Bohnert, Head of International Expansion of Mobike.
Every Mobike is equipped with GPS and cellular data, allowing the company to monitor each one 24/7.
"Because the bike is connected in real-time, we can check the health status of each bike — whether its opened or locked, if it's being ridden, or if there's a defect. We can remotely shut the bike down," Bohnert said.
View photosImage: Ng Yi Shu/Mashable
The bike's GPS even tracks altitude, so if someone steals a bike and takes it upstairs, Mobike will know. And they've sent staff members to knock on doors before to get bikes back.
The company declined to reveal how many bikes it has currently launched around Singapore.
Mobike requires a $35 deposit for each bike, with each trip costing $0.35 every 30 minutes. It's being touted as a promotional launch price, but Bohnert declined to say when that would end.
View photosImage: SILENT HILL/IMAGINECHINA
But how does the company expect to turn a profit with such low costs?
"We've partnered with Foxconn, which has helped us ramp up our annual production capacity to 10 million bikes, so [this leads to] economies of scale," he said.
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Major issues with bike-sharing apps
Two days after its formal launch in Singapore, Chinese-owned bike-sharing app Mobike still has some major issues to iron out.
The New Paper tried the three bike-sharing platforms - Mobike, ofo and oBike over two days.
Eight out of 10 times, those who tried Mobike could not find the bicycle.
The team combed areas like Tampines, Clarke Quay, Bras Basah and Kallang, and while the app indicated the bikes were at spaces like MRT stations and along pavements, they would be missing from these locations, even after a "reservation" had been made on the app.
Some of the bike icons on the app would even indicate the bicycles were inside private residences, hospitals, storerooms and construction areas.
Although the TNP team managed to find a Mobike at Tampines and Kallang Leisure Park, the bike icon on the app showed it was a distance away from where the two bicycles were supposed to be located.
Mobike uses a dockless bike-share system and users can unlock its bicycles by scanning a QR code on it.
Each bicycle comes with a proprietary "smart lock" containing GPS technology.
In response to TNP queries, Mr Florian Bohnert, head of international expansion at Mobike, said: "If the bike icons are not showing up correctly, we advise users to look around their surroundings and across the streets to locate the bikes, as the marker on the map may be affected by the surrounding environment such as buildings and other possible obstructions affecting the accuracy of the GPS signal on the map view."
A spokesman said the company has more than a million bikes in operation. As it can monitor the location and health of Mobikes in real time, "the number of bikes that are lost or damaged is negligible".
He added: "When necessary we can intervene, for example when a bike is damaged or parked in an unsuitable location."
Mobike had a team studying the local market to prepare for its launch from last October and have ramped up the deployment since Tuesday's launch.
There were similar struggles with China-based ofo, which does not use a GPS system.
Users would have to find a bike and enter the bike number in the app.
It will return a combination code which can be used to release the lock on the bike.
The New Paper team searched various MRT stations from the heartlands to the CBD area, parks and Housing Board void decks, but none of ofo's bright yellow bikes were spotted.
Based on the team's two-day mission, local venture oBike seems to have the least issues.
Bicycles from oBike could easily be found, with many parked at various MRT stations.
Unlike Mobike, oBike tracks its bicycles through the GPS system on the user's app, and a bicycle was found at the first attempt, near the McDonald's outlet at Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park.
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Bike-sharing in Singapore: Mobike, oBike and ofo put to the test #BicycleSharingSystem http://ebx.sh/2okDt4N
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More oBike and ofo bikes being kept where they shouldn't be http://bit.ly/2oOO3Su
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so many ppl using these mehh
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saw 2 ofo at my lao ka 2 days ago
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Bike-sharing start-up oBike officially launches, to offer Tampines residents free one-month usage http://str.sg/4XEG
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Spotted these brightly coloured
around 
lately? Learn more about their credit scoring system here - http://tdy.sg/2o8bSkg -
Social media can curb misuse of shared bikes, say experts http://str.sg/4Buj
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Mobike rolls out 1,000 bicycle parking areas in push for responsible user behaviour http://tdy.sg/2p7nvcJ
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Not a given that bicycle-sharing will succeed in Singapore http://ebx.sh/2q52Jxk
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Bike-sharing companies play down reports of misuse of bicycles
Reports about bike-sharing bicycles being chained up, damaged or tampered with have dominated the news recently.
Despite the proliferation of bicycle abuse reports on social media, bike-sharing companies here say that the number of such cases is "very small".
Home-grown oBike, the first bike-sharing company here, told The New Paper that only 1 per cent of its fleet has been reported to be damaged, while 2 per cent of its bicycles have been recovered after being "indiscriminately parked".
An oBike spokesman told TNP: "We have a few thousand bikes in our fleet, but only a very small number actually have any problems or have any kind of incidents."
On Wednesday, an oBike bicycle was spotted partially submerged in a Punggol canal.
Pictures of the bike were first posted by citizen journalism website Stomp on Thursday.
As of yesterday, Stomp's post has been viewed more than 2,000 times.
In response to TNP's queries, oBike general manager, Mr Elgin Ee, said: "We are investigating the matter and are in the process of lodging a police report.
"While cases of bicycle abuse are in the minority, we would like to urge all oBike users to treat our bicycles with care just as they would their own."
Singapore's two other bike-sharing companies, China-based ofo and Mobike, have also told TNP in previous reports that problematic bicycle incidents are few and far between.
In a previous report, an ofo representative told TNP: "Overall, these are rare cases.
"They get attention because bike sharing is still a new thing in Singapore."
Mr Jefri Johari, one of oBike's roving service technicians, attends to at least 30 incidents each day, and said it is uncommon to find bicycles that need drastic repairs.
MINOR PROBLEM
"Quite a number of times, the reports we receive make the problems seem very big, but when I take a look at the bike, it's just a minor problem that can be fixed easily," he said.
Explaining why the misuse of bike-sharing bicycles has gone viral on social media, National University of Singapore transport researcher Lee Der-Horng said: "Everything is so orderly here, and the abuse of bike-sharing bicycles is not something that the general public can accept."
Dr Lee said the bike-sharing companies are doing a good job of reminding users to treat bicycles well, but felt that "active management and enforcement" is what is necessary to prevent further abuse.
He highlighted the importance of being able to track each individual bicycle and the necessity of a dynamic monitoring system - which both Mobike and oBike have in place.
Mr Ee said oBike recently launched a credit scoring system to encourage positive riding behaviour.
Under the system, users with more credits will be rewarded with incentives, while those with zero credits will be banned from using the service.
When a user is using one of its bicycles, oBike's interface highlights designated parking areas where riders can leave their bicycles, so they do not park indiscriminately.
In March, the Land Transport Authority reminded the public that bike-sharing bicycles must be parked in designated spaces, and that they must not be left in areas that will cause any inconvenience, obstruction or danger to others.
In a media release, it said: "Strict enforcement action will be taken against all indiscriminately parked bicycles.
"This includes impounding of the bicycles and heavy fines, including against dockless bicycle-sharing system operators, and if necessary, regulatory action as well."
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PAP town councils, LTA to develop common rules for bicycle sharing
SINGAPORE: The 15 town councils run by the People's Action Party (PAP) are developing a common set of regulations for bicycle sharing, parking, and riding, according to Co-ordinating Chairman of PAP Town Councils Dr Teo Ho Pin on Friday (May 19).
As part of the new framework, the town councils will designate “bike drop-off boxes” or parking zones and identify suitable paths for cyclists within estates, and LTA will be “taking enforcement action (against) reckless cyclists”, Dr Teo said.
Examples of these parking zones can be seen in areas like Jurong and Tampines, following recent tie-ups between the operators and the respective town councils.
The move comes amid the burgeoning popularity of bicycle sharing in recent months, with the emergence of operators providing "dockless" services - where users can rent bicycles without returning them to fixed stations.
ILLEGALLY PARKED BICYCLES TO BE TAKEN AWAY
But this has also resulted in cases of “indiscriminate parking”, where bikes are left near staircases, blocking fire escape routes and corridors. Town councils have also cited inconsiderate behaviour, like speeding and reckless riding, as common concerns.
Channel NewsAsia understands that among the measures that will be enforced, illegally parked bicycles will be “towed away”. The bicycle-sharing operators would then have to bear the cost of retrieving and storing the bicycles.
“We have discussed with LTA to develop a common set of framework and by-laws to ensure the safety of both our residents and cyclists,” Dr Teo told Channel NewsAsia.
“This arrangement will ensure consistent practices among the 15 town councils so that residents and cyclists can use our town council footpaths, including covered linkway footpaths safely.”
The move also comes ahead of new laws governing and regulating the use of personal mobility devices and bicycles on public paths taking effect, which including new and stiffer penalties for reckless riding. The Active Mobility Bill was passed in Parliament in January, and the legislation is expected to come into force later this year.
“We are trying to align town council by-laws with the Active Mobility Act as soon as possible,” Dr Teo said, referring to the laws governing each town council.
"RIGHT DECISION" TO SCRAP NATIONAL BICYCLE-SHARING SCHEME
In March, the Land Transport Authority announced that it was scrapping plans for a previously announced national bicycle-sharing scheme.
“The ongoing plans by the private dockless bicycle-sharing system operators have obviated the need for a Government-run system backed by Government grants,” it said.
One expert told Channel NewsAsia that the current arrangement - having the operators run the services, but with the Government enforcing the rules - was the right move.
"This industry is moving very fast, and the technology, including the design of the bike, is changing very rapidly,” said National University of Singapore transport researcher Dr Lee Der Horng.
“The national bike-sharing scheme was going to use taxpayers' money, going to be part of public policy ... and may not be able to be up to date in terms of technology and the overall flexibility of the sharing system.”
“I think it was the right decision to leave the operations to the commercial operators, and the Government's responsibility is actually on the enforcement - in having the regulatory framework, to provide the overall management.”
BIKE SHARING TO COME TO ANG MO KIO
Following Tampines and Jurong, Ang Mo Kio will become the latest town to roll out a bicycle-sharing system together with bicycle-sharing operators, according to MP Ang Hin Kee.
Mr Ang told Channel NewsAsia on Thursday that Ang Mo Kio residents are showing more interest in cycling, to travel from their homes to places like the MRT or the market.
As part of the tie-up, the operators and the town councils will expand the number of yellow bicycle parking zones, and increase the number of bicycle racks, Mr Ang said. Currently, there are about 12,000 bicycle racks in Ang Mo Kio serving about 100,000 HDB flats.
"So we will be doing it in our markets, at major areas such as near to the MRT station, near to facilities like community centres. Those are the first priority,” he said. “Then we'll expand it to cover some of the void decks where some of these bikes may be parked."
Mr Ang said he expected the new parking zones to be ready by end June. He added that the authorities will also audit the signs and pathways in a bid to clearly show where the shared paths, cycling, or footpaths are. Education and training programmes in schools or senior citizen corners are also in the works.
When contacted by Channel NewsAsia, Pritam Singh, chairman of the Workers' Party-run Aljunied-Hougang Town Council (AHTC), said that LTA has reached out to AHTC to discuss the matter.
He added that the town council has also contacted one bicycle-sharing operator to address indiscriminate parking and usage around the town.Source: CNA/am
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Bicycle misuse: How other bike-sharing firms are preventing thefts and abuse http://str.sg/4uB6
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Where can I buy a bike for mountain biking?
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Originally posted by Cp-027:
Where can I buy a bike for mountain biking?
Carousell might be a good place to start with
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Heard that there's gonna be an upcoming bike sharing app here in SG that will be launching sometime next month
It's GBikes
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Is Singapore ready to become a pro-cycling nation?
Experts said cyclists, pedestrians and motorists must behave responsibly and graciously if the plans, announced yesterday by the Land Transport Authority and Urban Redevelopment Authority, to make the city centre car-lite are to work well. (See report on right.)
MP Sitoh Yih Pin, chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Transport, told The New Paper: "The infrastructure put in place can only facilitate the different road users in their travels.
"It is extremely important that all road users exercise caution and always put safety for themselves and other road users as the top priority."
Safe Cycling Task Force president Steven Limhas received many complaints about cyclists hogging the Changi East on-road cycling lanes, opened in April, making it hard for faster cyclists to overtake them.
"This is an example that shows even cyclists, who have been asking for dedicated cycling infrastructure, need to be more responsible and better behaved on the road.
"If motorists or cyclists have the mindset to look out for others on the roads, we don't need all these infrastructure in the first place," he said.
Founder of Singapore Bike School, the only cycling instruction school here, Mr Kenneth Wee, said education is important and suggested schools teach cycling.
"It could be one of the core sports offered, and from there, teach road safety and other aspects of cycling.
"We could also have more initiatives and educational courses reaching out to the foreign workers, many of whom get around by bike, at their dormitories," he said.
Mr Gopinath Menon, transport consultant and senior research fellow at the Nanyang Technological University, agreed that providing cycling infrastructure needs to be in tandem with educating Singaporeans onriding practices.
He said although the LTA has put up a code of conduct on its website, there are still many cases of bad behaviour.
TODDLER HURT
For example, two weeks ago, a 13-month-old toddler broke her right leg when a cyclist rode into her grandmother, who was carrying her, outside a Pasir Ris condominium.
Avid cyclist of five years Peter Sng, 65, a retiree, said cyclists must start to build a culture of graciousness, "but we have a long way to go".
The LTA will be calling a tender in the coming months for firms to design and construct the proposed central area cycling network, which does not have a targeted completion date yet.
Making more connections
The car-lite plan includes:
- Connecting a revitalised Bencoolen Street, which has been spruced up with a cycling path and more than 125 bicycle parking lots, to existing and future cycling routes all over Singapore.
- This includes Queenstown, Bishan and the North-South corridor in the north and the central area cycling network in the city, which will in turn be linked to the Marina Bay area and the eastern part of Singapore via East Coast Park.
- Works to transform Coleman Street, Armenian Street and Waterloo Street to make walking and cycling there more enjoyable by 2020.
