Bike-sharing company HelloRide to expand S'pore fleet to 20,000

Chinese bicycle-sharing company HelloRide has been given the go-ahead to expand its bike fleet to 20,000 - up from 15,000 - starting July 1, and it plans to roll out two-wheelers with added features such as phone holders, better pedals and seats.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has approved the company's application to renew its licence to operate a fleet of up to 20,000 for one year until June 30, 2026, said an LTA spokesperson on July 1.

LTA said that its considerations for granting HelloRide's new licence include the operator's plans to manage indiscriminate parking and its record for doing so, as well as efforts to educate users on proper parking behaviour.

It added that it takes into account the total shared bicycle population in Singapore, demand for bicycle sharing services and availability of parking infrastructure when evaluating applications for fleet expansions.

"We will continue to closely monitor the supply and demand of the deployed fleets, while ensuring all operators continue to manage dis-amenities," said an LTA spokesperson.

The expansion will help HelloRide remain competitive amid the Government's plans to push for more walk, cycle, ride commutes and the opening of more bicycle paths, said HelloRide general manager Hayden Choo.

"Walk, cycle, ride" is the Government's vision of sustainable transport, focusing on walking, cycling and public transport as the main modes of travel.

The increased fleet will enable HelloRide to serve more users at peak times, reduce waits and improve bicycle availability in high-demand zones, HelloRide said in a statement on July 1.

It added that the new bikes will be deployed progressively across key town centres and transport nodes.

"As we scale, we remain focused on safe riding practices, parking compliance and operational excellence," said HelloRide.

The fleet expansion comes after HelloRide increased its fleet to 10,000 shared bicycles in July 2023 from the 1,000 bikes it had when it started in 2022, with an add-on of 5,000 in October 2024.

HelloRide also operates in Australia, New Zealand and, recently, in Hong Kong.

The new fleet of HelloRide commuter bikes, called the OA70 model, has been tested in China. Each bike will come with a centre-mounted phone holder and improved seat adjustability to accommodate different rider heights.

"These were the two most requested features from users, and we believe they'll be a clear differentiator compared with Anywheel," said Mr Choo. Anywheel, which was founded locally, is the other bicycle-sharing operator in Singapore.

Mr Choo said HelloRide is also in the process of refreshing its existing bicycle fleet with new commuter bikes.

The total shared-bike fleet allowed on the streets here has expanded to 55,000 under LTA's bicycle-share licensing framework, said LTA. This is up from 50,000 before the expansion.

All bike-sharing operators in Singapore require a full licence under LTA to operate here.

HelloRide, which is owned by Chinese conglomerate Alibaba's fintech affiliate Ant Group, was given a "sandbox" licence in 2022 when it set up shop here to operate a fleet of up to 1,000, and had to apply for a full licence when it increased its fleet.

Mr Choo added that the firm will deploy the new bikes at various hot spots in Singapore to cater to casual lifestyle riders and those who use them to commute.

Its shared bikes are now deployed at East Coast Park, Marina Bay Sands, National Stadium, parks along the Kallang River, and a few other districts including Little India, Bugis and Boon Keng.

HelloRide has the second-largest fleet here after market leader Anywheel, which currently operates a fleet of 35,000, after operator SG Bike pulled out of the market in April 2024.

Anywheel's chief executive Htay Aung said Anywheel now serves two million users in Singapore, since its launch in 2017, and has seen a five-digit growth of new users month on month.

"We still see a lot of potential in Singapore based on current data," said Mr Htay Aung.

The operator has expanded its fleet several times since its start here, including its first expansion to 10,000 bikes from 1,000 after graduating from its sandbox licence in 2018 and doubling its fleet from 15,000 to 30,000 in 2022.

Anywheel's focus now is on rolling out its new generation of bikes in August to renew its bike fleet, after a test batch of about 1,000 bikes deployed on the streets here since February, said Mr Htay Aung.

The operator also hopes to apply for a new licence to raise its maximum fleet size after the roll-out, but plans are contingent on data and whether there is a strong demand, he added.

"Any competitor, including HelloRide, as long as they play fairly, I think they should be welcomed to Singapore. It's good for the market and good for us," he said.