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.
