Singapore now has a third bike-sharing company
in just a few months.
One of China's largest bike-sharing firms,
Mobike launched here on Tuesday, adding to the growing list
of bike-sharing companies that have mushroomed.
Like many of its competitors, the bikes are
stationless, so users are meant to just leave them on the side of
the street and walk away when they're done.
But this convenience has led to issues like theft
and even vandalism in countries like China, with many
hogging the bikes by locking them in their private compounds.
Mobike, which deals with this issue in China
on a daily basis, seems confident that its bikes' smarts will help
it counter the problem.
"We have the technology advantage," said
Florian Bohnert, Head of International Expansion of Mobike.
Every Mobike is
equipped with GPS and cellular data, allowing the company to
monitor each one 24/7.
"Because the bike is connected in real-time,
we can check the health status of each bike â whether its opened or
locked, if it's being ridden, or if there's a defect. We can
remotely shut the bike down," Bohnert said.
Image: Ng Yi Shu/Mashable
The bike's GPS even tracks altitude, so if
someone steals a bike and takes it upstairs, Mobike will know. And
they've sent staff members to knock on doors before to get bikes
back.
The company declined to reveal how many bikes
it has currently launched around Singapore.
Mobike requires a $35 deposit for each bike,
with each trip costing $0.35 every 30 minutes. It's being touted as
a promotional launch price, but Bohnert declined to say when that
would end.
Image: SILENT HILL/IMAGINECHINA
But how does the company expect to turn a
profit with such low costs?
"We've partnered with Foxconn, which has
helped us ramp up our annual production capacity to 10 million
bikes, so [this leads to] economies of scale," he said.
Image: Ng Yi Shu/Mashable
"Our bikes also require minimal maintenance. The solar
panel powers the lock, the body is full aluminium so it doesn't
rust, the tyres are airless so they're puncture free â all these
help keep costs down."
Singapore is the first city outside China that the
company has launched in, though it adds that it has plans to bring
bikes to more cities around the world.
"We can't say which cities we're planning on expanding
to," said Bohnert. "But we want to help solve problems like traffic
congestion and pollution, so [there are a number of cities] we
believe could use our solution."Singapore now has a third
bike-sharing company in just a few months.
One of China's largest bike-sharing firms, Mobike
launched here on Tuesday, adding to the growing list
of bike-sharing companies that have mushroomed.
SEE ALSO: Ofo, one of
China's most aggressive bike-sharing firms, expands
globally
Like many of its competitors, the bikes are
stationless, so users are meant to just leave them on the side of
the street and walk away when they're done.
But this convenience has led to issues like
theft and even vandalism in countries like China, with
many hogging the bikes by locking them in their private
compounds.
Mobike, which deals with this issue in China on a daily
basis, seems confident that its bikes' smarts will help it counter
the problem.
"We have the technology advantage," said Florian
Bohnert, Head of International Expansion of Mobike.
Every Mobike is
equipped with GPS and cellular data, allowing the company to
monitor each one 24/7.
"Because the bike is connected in real-time, we can
check the health status of each bike â whether its opened or
locked, if it's being ridden, or if there's a defect. We can
remotely shut the bike down," Bohnert said.
Image: Ng Yi Shu/Mashable
The bike's GPS even tracks altitude, so if someone
steals a bike and takes it upstairs, Mobike will know. And they've
sent staff members to knock on doors before to get bikes back.
The company declined to reveal how many bikes it has
currently launched around Singapore.
Mobike requires a $35 deposit for each bike, with each
trip costing $0.35 every 30 minutes. It's being touted as a
promotional launch price, but Bohnert declined to say when that
would end.
Image: SILENT HILL/IMAGINECHINA
But how does the company expect to turn a profit with
such low costs?
"We've partnered with Foxconn, which has helped us ramp
up our annual production capacity to 10 million bikes, so [this
leads to] economies of scale," he said.
Image: Ng Yi Shu/Mashable
"Our bikes also require minimal maintenance. The solar
panel powers the lock, the body is full aluminium so it doesn't
rust, the tyres are airless so they're puncture free â all these
help keep costs down."
Singapore is the first city outside China that the
company has launched in, though it adds that it has plans to bring
bikes to more cities around the world.
"We can't say which cities we're planning on expanding
to," said Bohnert. "But we want to help solve problems like traffic
congestion and pollution, so [there are a number of cities] we
believe could use our solution."
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