Dockless bike sharing firm shuts down to avoid Singapore's new regulations

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thelawnet
Posts: 2736
Joined: 27 Aug 2010, 12:56am

Dockless bike sharing firm shuts down to avoid Singapore's new regulations

Post by thelawnet »

Singapore doesn't like clutter.

They do like fines for not being orderly.

So they introduced a scheme where if dockless bikes were not parked in a designate parking spaces operators would pay large fines.

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/ ... ke-sharing

The result is Obike shutting down.

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/si ... s-10466736

Obike has also annoyed Hammermsith Council in London, for dumping hundreds of bikes in the public realm without notice.

https://www.lbhf.gov.uk/articles/news/2 ... icycles-hf

Obike, which is from Singapore, stealthily converted users' ~£25 deposits to 'subscription' fees and is eating them.

https://www.techinasia.com/obike-ceases-sg

Of course there's a great argument for converting parking spots, taxi ranks into bike 'parking' zones, but it's not clear that dumping disposable bikes (these dockless bikes are as I understand it, cheap & nasty by design, no gears, etc. and designed to be trashed, chucked into canals, and replaced at minimal cost) on the streets is the answer.
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