📺 Stream EntrepreneurTV for Free 📺

Why oBikes Bid Adieu to its Home Base Singapore? GrabCycle app no longer supports oBikes says the company's official app

By Komal Nathani

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

You're reading Entrepreneur Asia Pacific, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.

oBikes

The stationless bicycle sharing startup oBike today said goodbye to its home base country Singapore citing the reason of new regulations imposed by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) in country.

Launched in January 2017, Singapore based oBike revealed in its Facebook post that the company will cease its operation immediately from June 25.

"oBike is announcing its decision to cease operation in Singapore as a result of difficulties foreseen to be experienced to fulfill the new requirements and guidelines released by Land Transport Authority (LTA) towards dock-less bicycle sharing in Singapore," the company said.

"oBike strongly believes and is committed to provide dock-less bicycle sharing service that would benefit users commuting and Singapore's transportation system, however it is with regret that the new regulation measures do not favour this belief of ours."

oBike is the second bicycle-sharing company that has gone against of the new licensing laws in Singapore. Earlier this month, FintechSG's firm GBikes had also announced to pull out its operations from Singaporean market.

Ejection of oBikes from GrabCycle

While the other competitors like Ofo, MoBike and homegrown brand SG Bikes seem to have no problem in adhering to new regulations imposed by LTA, oBike and GBike have announced their exit in the Singaporean market for now. However, oBike in its Facebook post has said that the users who currently possess an oBike Super VIP membership can continue to use its services via GrabCycle.

The marketplace app on the other hand, had announced on its app that the partnership with oBikes no longer exists.

Below mentioned screenshot is the preview of an oBike account holder:

The news of the sudden issues between oBike and GrabCycle has created problems for the customers as both the companies shared the same customers. Users are worried about their deposits as they don't know which company is going to pay them back. As per the news reports, the users couldn't unlock the bicycles parked on pavements, parks and bus stops all over the country.

To remove the thousands of abandoned bicycles, LTA has said that the authorities will include oBikes on their removal plans, including the removal of shared bicycles from the public places.

Amid the stiff competition in the Singaporean bicycle-sharing market, oBikes is known for its best use for short journeys amongst users. The company is also present in several other countries that includes Taiwan, Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Australia, Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Germany, Austria, Sweden, Italy and France.

Komal Nathani

Former Correspondent, Entrepreneur Asia Pacific

A firm believer of hard work and patience. Love to cover stories that hold a potential to change the momentum of business world. Currently, a part of all-women web team of Entrepreneur’s Asia Pacific edition to jig the wheel of business journalism!

Starting a Business

Clinton Sparks Podcast: How T.I. Achieved Massive Entrepreneurship Success in Music and Life

This podcast is a fun, entertaining and informative show that will teach you how to succeed and achieve your goals with practical advice and actionable steps given through compelling stories and conversations with Clinton and his guests.

Starting a Business

3 Types of Rent-Free Workspaces for Entrepreneurs

Take advantage of these free workspaces offered by chambers of commerce, universities and the community-at-large.

Marketing

COVID-19 Transforms Out-Of-Home Advertising

Economic crisis and pandemics like these breed incredible opportunities and this is one such opportunity for the OOH advertising industry to relearn and transform.

Thought Leaders

It's the End of the Entrepreneurial Era As We Know It

With the rise of advanced technologies and AI, are we losing all sense of the independent business person and entrepreneur?

Business News

These 4 Words Make It Obvious You Used AI to Write a Paper, According to New Research

Scientists are increasingly using ChatGPT and other AI bots to write studies.