SINGAPORE — The three main bicycle-sharing firms here could offer their two-wheelers to food-delivery firms, which are scrambling to find alternative forms of transport for thousands of riders hit by a ban on the use of electric scooters along footpaths, TODAY has learnt.

A Foodpanda spokesperson said that the firm is “definitely looking at a potential partnership with e-bike companies”, while a Deliveroo spokesperson said that it is “in conversations” with bike-sharing operators.

The move to ban e-scooters from footpaths was announced in Parliament on Monday (Nov 4) and enforced on Tuesday, leaving food-delivery riders with little time to adjust their mode of transport. They are now allowed to ride only on bicycle paths and park-connector networks.

There are about 7,000 food-delivery riders using personal mobility devices (PMDs) who are engaged by GrabFood, Foodpanda and Deliveroo, Senior Minister of State for Transport, Dr Lam Pin Min, said on Monday.

In response to TODAY’s queries, Foodpanda said that it is working with the authorities and other partners “to offer a change in mode of transport at an affordable rate”. This will also be offered to PMD riders across Singapore, including those from other food-delivery companies, who may be affected by the new regulation, it added.

The bicycle-sharing companies confirmed with TODAY that they are exploring partnerships with these food-delivery firms.

Moov Mobility’s chief operating officer, Ms Sharon Meng, said on Thursday (Nov 7) that the company is in talks with some food-delivery firms on the prospect of offering its bicycles and electric two-wheelers to affected riders. She declined to name the firms.

SG Bike, Singapore’s largest bicycle-sharing operator with 20,000 or so bicycles islandwide, said that it is also open to the idea.

Mr Benjamin Oh, its marketing director, said: “SG Bike is looking into working with food-delivery companies to provide bicycles for their partners’ use as soon as possible, in the shortest time frame.”

Anywheel founder Htay Aung said that the firm is “keen to explore the option”.

He said that Anywheel had already been talking to Foodpanda as early as three months ago, but the deal tabled back then “was offering both e-scooter and bicycle services”.

Since the ban, the firm has had “internal discussions on how (it) can provide a sustainable service” that makes sense to both the food-delivery companies and Anywheel, Mr Htay Aung said. The firm will offer only its bicycles, and plans to approach other food-delivery companies by the end of the month.

TODAY has reached out to GrabFood, the other big player in the food-delivery services industry, for comment.

Mr Jim Hon, a freelance food-delivery rider, said that the effectiveness of the partnership would depend on how affordable the rates are.

“If (the rates are) significant and eat heavily into potential future income, then the take-up rate will not be high,” the 37-year-old said.

He also felt that if many e-scooter riders switch to bicycles, it could create congestion on cycling paths or roads.

“What if power-assisted bicycles are banned next due to overcrowding on the roads when most PMD users switch over?”

BICYCLES NOT A VIABLE ALTERNATIVE FOR SOME

Student and part-time delivery rider Muhammad Junaidi, who works for Domino's Pizza, said that he will not make the switch to bicycles owing to prevailing health issues.

“I am asthmatic and cycling will cause my asthma to act up,” the 18-year-old said.

A Foodpanda delivery rider who wants to be known only as Danish has switched from an e-scooter to a bicycle.

But he said that his delivery times have slowed; he fulfilled 24 orders on his e-scooter on Sunday — the day before the ban was announced — but only 13 when he rode his bicycle on Wednesday. His takings also dropped from around S$100 a day to S$36.

Earnings aside, there are other reasons food-delivery riders are not switching to bicycles.

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One is fitness levels, with Mr Hon saying that “only the fittest and the most enthusiastic of the cycling enthusiasts and not the casual weekend cyclist” will be able to do this for 12 hours a day, seven days a week.

Bicycles are also not as compact as e-scooters, he said, pointing out that unless they are foldable, they cannot be taken on board public transport.

“Generally, bicycles are bulkier (than e-scooters) to store at home,” he said. “Many riders also (come from) low-income families living in small one- to two-room Housing and Development Board flats with perhaps narrow corridors.”

Mr Louis Ng, Member of Parliament for Nee Soon Group Representation Constituency, told TODAY that he is looking at ways to help families of food-delivery riders in his ward to adjust to the new rule.

“I’ve been meeting with food-delivery riders and I can understand how difficult it has been for them,” Mr Ng said. “It hasn’t been easy as some lost their livelihood overnight and will have to adapt now.

“We are looking into providing some interim financial assistance to food-delivery riders from low-income families (from Nee Soon East) who depend on this for their livelihood.”