I have been living in Singapore for about 2 years now. I was recently introduced to bicycle sharing in Singapore by a friend. Being a cycling enthusiast, I was excited to know more about this. I was told that there are 3 vendors who offer bicycle sharing services in Singapore - OBike, Mobike, and OFO. There might be others but these are supposedly the major ones. I immediately started to explore on what was required to register to at least one of these services. I ended up registering for all the 3.
How it works:
OBike and Mobike are similar in their operation. They have a mobile app which one has to download and use to register to their services. Once you have the app, you will have to register with a security deposit of $49. The registration is tagged to your mobile number. OBike gave me free rides worth $3 when I registered. Both the apps have a mobile wallet which will require a top-up as you use. The costs usually range between 50 cents to 1 dollar every 30 minutes. So once you register, you will be able to locate the nearest bicycle using the app. The cycle will be having a QR code which you will scan using your phone to unlock the cycle lock. Your mobile bluetooth must be turned ON for this functionality to work. Once you have unlocked the cycle, the clock starts ticking. After you are done using the cycle, you will have to park it safely at a nearest bicycle stand and lock the cycle. You will need to have your bluetooth turned ON when you lock the bicycle as this will be used to end your trip on your mobile app. Else, you will have to do a manual end trip. OFO works differently, I have not tried OFO so far. I believe it uses a 4 digit code to lock/unlock the cycle. OFO charges per use, so i suppose it is cheaper than OBike and Mobike.
OBike:
An OBike is usually yellow in color with a basket up in the front. I believe there are 3 variants of this bicycle. I found OBike to be the most easy-to-locate out of the 3 vendors. So I chose this as my first option to try. Besides, they gave me $3 worth free rides AND they offered free rides on the weekend, which was just terrific. I was able to ride for long hours without paying anything. The first time I used this cycle, I was extremely satisfied. The cycle was either new or well maintained. They do not have geared cycles, but that's okay to get around. OBike also provides the feature of reserving a cycle remotely using the app upto 10 minutes before you reach the cycle. After my first attempt, I started using OBike frequently, to office, to goto the grocery shop, anywhere nearby. It was fun, cheap and healthy. I feel I have shed some layers around my stomach.
Mobike:
A Mobike is usually orange in color with a basket upfront. I registered for mobike paying the $49 deposit. Mobike did not provide me any free rides. I loaded my mobike wallet with $10. I have not used a mobike so far though. The cycles look well maintained and similar to the Obike except for the color. Using the mobile app we can locate the nearest available cycle. Mobike allows its users to reserve a bike upto 15 minutes.
OFO:
An OFO bike is a full yellow color. OFO does not have a basket up-frount. The rates for OFO bikes are cheaper than OBike and Mobike. I have not used an OFO bike so far. OFO requires a deposit of $39 to start using.
How it works:
OBike and Mobike are similar in their operation. They have a mobile app which one has to download and use to register to their services. Once you have the app, you will have to register with a security deposit of $49. The registration is tagged to your mobile number. OBike gave me free rides worth $3 when I registered. Both the apps have a mobile wallet which will require a top-up as you use. The costs usually range between 50 cents to 1 dollar every 30 minutes. So once you register, you will be able to locate the nearest bicycle using the app. The cycle will be having a QR code which you will scan using your phone to unlock the cycle lock. Your mobile bluetooth must be turned ON for this functionality to work. Once you have unlocked the cycle, the clock starts ticking. After you are done using the cycle, you will have to park it safely at a nearest bicycle stand and lock the cycle. You will need to have your bluetooth turned ON when you lock the bicycle as this will be used to end your trip on your mobile app. Else, you will have to do a manual end trip. OFO works differently, I have not tried OFO so far. I believe it uses a 4 digit code to lock/unlock the cycle. OFO charges per use, so i suppose it is cheaper than OBike and Mobike.
- Download OBike/Mobike mobile app.
- Register using mobile number paying a security deposit of $49.
- Locate bicycle.
- Unlock using QR code in bicycle.
- Use Bicycle.
- Park at bicycle stnad.
- End trip.
OBike:
An OBike is usually yellow in color with a basket up in the front. I believe there are 3 variants of this bicycle. I found OBike to be the most easy-to-locate out of the 3 vendors. So I chose this as my first option to try. Besides, they gave me $3 worth free rides AND they offered free rides on the weekend, which was just terrific. I was able to ride for long hours without paying anything. The first time I used this cycle, I was extremely satisfied. The cycle was either new or well maintained. They do not have geared cycles, but that's okay to get around. OBike also provides the feature of reserving a cycle remotely using the app upto 10 minutes before you reach the cycle. After my first attempt, I started using OBike frequently, to office, to goto the grocery shop, anywhere nearby. It was fun, cheap and healthy. I feel I have shed some layers around my stomach.
Mobike:
A Mobike is usually orange in color with a basket upfront. I registered for mobike paying the $49 deposit. Mobike did not provide me any free rides. I loaded my mobike wallet with $10. I have not used a mobike so far though. The cycles look well maintained and similar to the Obike except for the color. Using the mobile app we can locate the nearest available cycle. Mobike allows its users to reserve a bike upto 15 minutes.
OFO:
An OFO bike is a full yellow color. OFO does not have a basket up-frount. The rates for OFO bikes are cheaper than OBike and Mobike. I have not used an OFO bike so far. OFO requires a deposit of $39 to start using.
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