Assuming you are a resident of Singapore, you have seen a couple of Singapore’s shared bikes scattered here and there. That is, unless you get around with a car and consider a walk outside your much-too-comfortable home a waste of time and effort. Of course, in a country where the majority of its citizens live cluttered together in multi-story Housing Development Board (HDB) flats, it is highly unlikely. It is especially so if you happen to live on a lower floor where all your windows must be firmly shut in the evening to prevent insects and bugs from settling in, despite there being a constant need to ventilate the rooms to prevent a stuffy, unbreathable, toxic environment. A breath of fresh air, in these circumstances, is highly important.
Being able to find a bike at almost any bus stop, get around anywhere at any time, and feel the gentle breeze of fresh air brush against me as I ride, is a calming experience like no other. It is one of the better coping mechanisms I use to relieve stress.
To name a few of these bikes, the most well known brands are SG Bike, Anywheel, and the up-and-coming HelloRide. If none of these names ring a bell, perhaps you’d recognize the bikes by their distinctive colours. The colour combination for SG Bike would, of course, be Singapore’s national colours—red and white, green for Anywheel, and a light sky blue accompanied by black for HelloRide.
Now, if you have lived in Singapore long enough, you may be wondering why I have not mentioned another colour. A colour you could have sworn existed on the streets of Singapore some time before. A familiar colour you would see and recognize. That iconic yellow hue was adopted by the bike-sharing company, Ofo. However, these friendly bikes aren’t very common these days. In fact, they were permanently removed from all public spaces in the year 2019.
Ofo, along with a few other bike sharing companies (not mentioned), quickly rose in popularity after its launch and plummeted with an even greater speed soon after. Although there are a few reasons as to why these industries fail, the main culprit lies with the very consumers of their product. Whether it’s been misplaced in an unauthorised area, stolen and locked away, or broken apart and mercilessly thrown around, these bikes have been abused and exploited to the extent that their providers just aren’t able to pay for the damages and eventually lose their licence. The pattern continues to repeat with each upcoming industry.
However, as a genuine lover of these sharable bikes, I want to say that this cycle is not some unbreakable curse. In fact, all that these bikes really need to survive is just a bit of encouragement and good will. I hope I am not demanding too much when I plead with you not to wreck public property. Please treat these bikes well. Refrain from taking out your frustrations on them. If you must, buy your own and you can do whatever you want with those.
Now, I am quite aware that you, reader, are one of the good ones. If you do not own a bike and are still a little unfamiliar with shared bikes, do try them out sometime. They are quite value-for-money, these bike rentals. Many of their provided plans are actually good deals, even more so if you find yourself with a free schedule — winter break is the perfect time to clock in some exercise and enjoy some scenery.
Try them out. Support these invaluable companies. Help to grow the reputation of bike renters as people who use them properly. And if you are already a passionate, devoted user of a bike-share provider, keep up the good work!