ofo considering legal action over bicycle abuse video

SINGAPORE — Bike-sharing company ofo is considering legal action after an 11-second-long video that showed a youth throwing one of the company’s bicycles down from a high-rise building is making its rounds on social media.

The video, which was posted on Thursday (June 15) morning, shows a bespectacled youth lifting up the yellow-framed bicycle over the railing of a corridor partition before letting it go, as he watches it break apart as it hits several ledges during its descend. 

A voice off-camera is heard saying: “This is not my fault...I swear to God.”

It is believed the incident happened at 116B Jalan Tenteram. but it is not immediately clear when did the incident take place.

Responding to a query from TODAY, an ofo spokesperson said the company is aware of the incident and has lodged a police report.

“This is something that goes beyond vandalism and poses a threat to the safety of everyone around,” said the spokesperson, adding that ofo is working closely with the authorities to investigate further and “determine the most appropriate course of legal action” to take against the culprit.

Police confirmed a report was lodged and said investigations are ongoing.

Under 336 (a) of the Penal Code (Cap 224), anyone found guilty of endangering the life or the personal safety of others can be charged for committing a rash act, which results in imprisonment of up to six months and/or a fine of up to S$2,500.

There have been several instances whereby abuse of shared-bikes, particularly ofo’s, were caught on camera. 

On April 18, TODAY published a photograph of an ofo bicycle lying in a canal in Yishun.

Another undated video making its rounds on social media showed two boys playing on top of a multi-storey carpark, rolling an ofo bicycle to deliberately crash it into a wall. 

Social media users hoping to rent the shared bicycles have also recounted incidences where ofo bikes have their ID tags intentionally defaced, preventing anyone but the culprit from using it. 

While not limited to just ofo bicycles, there have also been reports of individuals chaining shared-bicycles of other companies outside their homes.