Chinese bike-sharing startup Mobike riding into S’pore

SINGAPORE — Chinese startup Mobike, which was co-founded by a former Uber executive, is eyeing tie-ups with educational institutions here to pilot its bike-sharing service on school campuses, the company told TODAY.

The move will be Mobike’s first expansion outside of China. The company, which was established in Beijing in January last year, currently has a presence in Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou and Shenzhen.

Mobike, the company said, employs a stationless bike system, where users find, reserve, unlock and ride to their destination. Once at their destination, users can return Mobike to any public bicycle parking space. Mobike employs real-time monitoring of its fleet, and its bikes are equipped with GPS tracking and a specially-designed locking system. Users unlock Mobike with its mobile app. The company declined to say how much it will charge for the service here, but in China, its bike rental service costs one yuan per half hour, with a one-time deposit of 299 yuan (S$62).

The move comes amid the growing popularity of cycling in Singapore, as the government strives for a car-lite society and make walking, cycling, and riding public transport the way of life for Singaporeans. By 2030, all HDB towns will have a cycling network, which means a total of 700km of cycling paths across the island. Other bicycle-friendly infrastructure such as bicycle crossings and bike parking facilities are being added to further encourage a cycling culture.

“Mobike’s remarkable growth and the widespread adoption of our bike-sharing services in major Chinese cities is a proof-of-concept to our technology and operating model ... Singapore, with its pre-existing plans to promote cycling and create a greener urban environment, is an interesting market, and we look forward to exploring opportunities, so we can innovate rapidly and deliver on our vision,” said Mr Florian Bohnert, general manager (Singapore) of Mobike.

According to consultancy Roland Berger, there are currently some 600 bike sharing schemes around the world with a market volume in excess of €1.3 billion (S$1.98 billion). The global market for bike sharing offers is expected to be worth up to €5.3 billion by 2020.