SINGAPORE: A national self-service bicycle-sharing scheme which was slated to be piloted in the Jurong Lake District by the end of this year has been scrapped, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced on Friday (Mar 24).
In a media release, LTA said it reassessed its bicycle-sharing plans after several privately funded dockless bicycle-sharing services emerged in Singapore since the beginning of 2017. These operators include local start-up oBike as well as China-based firms Ofo and Mobike.
A bicycle belonging to bicycle-sharing firm MoBike.
“The ongoing plans by the private dockless bicycle-sharing system operators have obviated the need for a Government-run system backed by Government grants. The price proposals submitted by all 13 participants of the tender will be unopened,” LTA said.
Earlier this month, Second Minister for Transport Ng Chee Meng during the Committee of Supply debate had said that Transport Ministry is assessing the bids tendered for the bicycle-sharing service in Jurong Lake District “carefully”.
LTA had put out a tender to appoint an operator for the pilot bicycle-sharing scheme in July last year, with options to bid to operate a bicycle-sharing scheme in the Marina Bay/City Centre area, as well as Tampines and Pasir Ris. The tender closed in December 2016 and attracted a total of 13 bids from local and foreign participants, LTA said, adding that the proposals were a mix of both docked and dockless bicycle-sharing systems.
LTA added that it will continue to monitor developments in the bicycle-sharing landscape and introduce new plans “if necessary”.
