Bike-sharing firms do not care for their property

Instructors of economics and political science who need to find examples of the tragedy of the commons — where individual users in a shared-resource system act contrary to the common good of all users — may now find examples on Singapore’s streets.

Strewn at bus stops, void decks of housing blocks, pedestrian paths, and other assorted public places are bicycles from bike-sharing firms that are left abandoned in various stages of disrepair.

A good number of them are not usable and the companies make no effort to retrieve them and restore them to working condition.

In earlier days, bicycles thrown about carelessly by individual users would have netted them a summons for littering.

The bike-sharing firms do not appear to care for the condition of their property, and I have doubts about their business model as well. Are rental fees enough to cover operation costs or are these firms really selling data generated from users of their mobile applications?

We often pride ourselves that our streets and public spaces are clean and tidy, yet this malaise is allowed to mar our landscape and hinder the walking paths of the general public.

Enough grace period has been given to bike-sharing firms to get their act together and it is about time they are brought in line.