You’ve definitely seen those orange and yellow/grey bikes around town, and more often than not, you’ll hear complaints about them being littered everywhere. The competition for these bike sharing companies is so hot that these 3 companies – ofo, oBike, and MoBike – have put off the government from starting up their own version.
UPDATE: As of July 2018, three bike-sharing companies in Singapore have ceased operations since the announcement of LTA’s new stricter guidelines. These include homegrowns oBike, GBike, and ShareBikeSG.
READ ALSO: Three new bike-share operators are in town – GBike, SGBike and ShareBikeSG
With the market currently saturated with bikes from the 3 existing companies, there’s no telling how the market will react to another one in the scene.
In case you haven’t tried any of the bikes and are wondering how to, all you need is a smartphone and a payment method (credit or debit card). Depending on the promos, you can even snag free rides.
So far, the cheapest ride is from ofo ($2 all day), followed by moBike ($0.50 per 30 mins), and oBike ($0.50 per 15 mins). However, ofo charges per hour ($1/hour), oBike per 15 mins, so if your ride is less than 15 mins (say, from your home to the MRT), oBike works out cheaper.
oBike
Singapore’s very own bike share company, oBike is also available in Malaysia and Taiwan.
Identify the Bike: Mainly grey with yellow highlights, the rather large, heavy bikes may be difficult to navigate when riding uphill. However, they’ve since launched a lighter version with a white (instead of grey) base and yellow wheels.
Basket: Yes Multi-gear: No
Deposit: $49 (there’s a $3 ride credit promo when you sign up)
Cost per ride: $0.50 per 15 minutes.
They run a Credit system where good behavior (parking in the right spots) gets awarded with points. The more points you get, there will be perks or promos.
Finding/Parking: Bikes have a built-in GPS so you can locate ones closest to you and reserve it for 10 minutes for free. Park the bike at designated public bike parking area or bike parking coil after using.
oBike was the first bike-sharing company to cease operations in Singapore in June 2018, citing difficulties complying with new LTA rules.
moBike
With a huge reach in 33 cities across China, moBike is now in Singapore.
Identify the Bike: Medium-sized bikes are mainly grey with vermillion highlights (on the wheels and basket).
Basket: Yes Multi-gear: No
Deposit: $49
Cost per ride: $0.50 per 30 minutes.
They also run a Credit system where good behavior (parking in the right spots) gets awarded with points. The less points you have, the more expensive your ride.
Finding/Parking: Bikes have a built-in GPS so you can locate ones closest to you and reserve it for 15 minutes for free. After using, park at Mobike Preferred Locations (MPL) or any public bicycle rack.
ofo
Another bike share company from China, ofo is currently the only company that provides bicycles with multiple gears. Having recently celebrated their third month of operations in Singapore, they’ll be rolling out a new fleet – and an updated app – with improved features.
Identify the Bike: The bikes are on the smaller side, and are painted in all-yellow.
Basket: No (older model), Yes (new model) Multi-gear: Yes
Deposit: $39
Cost per ride: $1 per hour; $2 all day.
All riders get a $2 coupon with the completion of each ride, for a limited time. In response to the abuse that their bicycles get, they’ll be rolling out Credit system in their revised app.
Finding/Parking: The current fleet of bikes have no built-in GPS, so you can’t locate them. Their new fleet (called Aura 1.0) will be rolled out over the months, and will have built-in GPS. After using, bicycles should be parked in a safe location where bicycle parking is permitted.
