Singapore is the Chinese bike-sharing startup’s first stop outside China
Chinese bike-sharing startup Mobike has set its eyes on Singapore’s cycling community.
Today, it announced it will be test trialling its bike-sharing service in Singapore.
The first batch of Mobikes is expected to hit the roads and pavements of the city by the end of this year. The bike rental fee was not disclosed.
This marks Mobike’s first foray into an overseas market.
Founded in 2015 by an ex-Uber China executive, Davis Wong, Mobike allows users to locate Mobikes through its app using the in-built GPS system. They can then book the bikes 15 minutes before and unlock the bikes using QR codes.
Unlike some bike-sharing services that rely on designated kiosks, Mobike touts itself as a “station-less bike system”. Users can park the bikes at any public parking bicycle space.
In China, the service was marred by several uncharitable users who sought ways to keep the bikes to themselves.
According to a China Money Network report, some users stowed the bikes away in private apartment buildings and underground garages, others scratched off the QR codes.
Still, investors seemed to have more faith in the communal goodwill of humanity. Panda Capital invested a sum of US$10 million into Mobike in August this year.
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Image Credit: Mobike
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