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.
