Commuters can now reserve shared bicycles using SBS Transit app

SINGAPORE - Commuters can now reserve a shared bicycle parked at or near bus stops using the SBS Transit (SBST) phone app through a partnership between the public transport operator and bicycle-sharing platform, Anywheel.

On the SBS Transit app, users are able to know how many Anywheel bicycles are at the parking stations located near the bus stops and be able to reserve them for up to 30 minutes in advance.

Users need to have a valid Anywheel account with sufficient credit to reserve the bicycles.

SBST and Anywheel made the announcement on July 10.

A $1 reservation fee will be charged if the user does not take the bicycle out within the reservation period, uses it for less than 1 minute or ends the trip within 5 minutes.

The actual hiring of the shared bicycle is done on the Anywheel app. The user can scan any bicycle at the parking station to start the rental. It costs $1 to use the standard bicycle for every 30 minutes or part thereof.

While the ability to know the number of bicycles at the parking stations near the user has been a feature on SBS Transit’s app since March 2023, the ability to reserve a bicycle in advance is new. It is the latest effort from the public transport operator to boost first-and-last-mile connectivity for commuters, such as from bus stops to homes and offices.

In February, SBST partnered Get-Go, a car-sharing company, for 400 shared cars to be parked within a five- to 10-minute walk of 50 MRT stations along the North East and Downtown MRT lines. SBST operates these two MRT lines as well as the Sengkang and Punggol LRT lines.

In an interview with The Straits Times in December 2023, SBST’s chief executive Jeffrey Sim said that there are plans to develop a “bike village” at the Punggol MRT station to provide amenities for the local community and attract more people to use public transport.

There are two bicycle-sharing companies in Singapore. In May, Anywheel was granted permission by the Land Transport Authority to expand its fleet by 5,000 bicycles to 35,000, extending its lead over HelloRide, which operates 10,000 bicycles.

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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.