BEIJING, June 13 (Xinhua) -- Two Chinese bike-sharing leaders, Ofo and Mobike, have taken their battle overseas, as both have launched operations in Singapore.
Ofo expanded to Singapore in February, and Mobike soon followed suit in March. Increasing numbers of the companies' yellow and orange bikes are now available to Singapore's residents. Ofo users in Singapore have topped 100,000, and the daily order number has reached 20,000 in the country with a population of approximately 5 million.
Both have expanded their bike distribution areas from subway stations and shopping malls to some residential areas, Xinhua News Agency reported.
Earlier in May, Singapore-based Stuff.tv published an assessment of the three shared bike brands in Singapore. Local bike-sharing company Obike received the highest score in overall performance, at 4.5 out of 5, because it is easiest to find. Ofo was rated 4, as it is the most affordable and easiest to ride, though “looking for an Ofo bike is like looking for an Apple user at a Samsung store,” according to the tongue-in-cheek assessment.
Mobike received the lowest rating, with an average score of 3. While Mobike bicycles are easy to locate, users complain that they are hard to get used to, the report noted. Other felt Mobike didn't offer enough discounts and promotions.
Apart from their price wars, shared bike companies have also come up with new features to attract users. Ofo, for example, announced on May 24 a new mode called Aura1.0 that is available in Singapore; the mode allows users to locate bikes via Google Maps. Aura1.0 also uses a new material to protect itself against the humid Singapore weather, along with a speed control gadget, Xinhua reported.
However, as in the Chinese market, both Mobike and Ofo face problems of parking chaos in Singapore, as the shared bikes are often left randomly on sidewalks or even on lawns. Local traffic authorities will soon regulate the parking of shared bikes, and will charge the companies penalties for bikes that are parked in violation of the regulations. (People's Daily Online)
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