Measures to Ensure Non-dumping or Illegal Parking of Shared Bicycles Given New Bike-Sharing Licence
Ministry of TransportSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns measures to prevent illegal parking or dumping of shared bicycles, raised by Mr Lim Biow Chuan following the issuance of a new licence. Minister for Transport S Iswaran detailed that operators must integrate QR code systems, charge a $5 fee for improper parking, and ban repeat offenders from hiring bicycles. New operators are initially granted "sandbox licences" for 1,000 bicycles and must prove their ability to monitor fleets and remove indiscriminately parked bikes before full licensing. Since 2019, these policies have led to over 90% compliance in designated parking, bolstered by the addition of 40,000 new parking lots for a total of 246,000 island-wide. The Land Transport Authority will continue to monitor the performance of new licensees like HelloRide and evaluate their track records to ensure responsible parking practices.
Transcript
28 Mr Lim Biow Chuan asked the Minister for Transport in view of the new licence granted for bike sharing, what are the measures taken to ensure that there will not be any illegal parking or dumping of shared bicycles.
Mr S Iswaran: Bicycle-sharing operators are subject to a licensing regime to ensure that their services do not result in public disamenities. They are required to integrate LTA's QR code parking system with their mobile applications and to impose an additional fee of $5 on users who do not park within the designated areas. New bicycle-sharing operators are subjected to a "sandbox licence" regime where they are only allowed to operate up to 1,000 bicycles. Users who repeatedly park improperly are also banned from hiring shared bicycles for a period. Since the introduction of these measures in 2019, indiscriminate parking has declined, with more than 90% of shared bicycle users ending their trips at designated parking areas.
On 1 July 2022, LTA awarded a sandbox licence to HelloRide to provide a fleet of up to 1,000 bicycles for one year. They were required to submit, as part of their application, plans to devote resources and set up systems to monitor their fleet and remove indiscriminately parked bicycles within a given timeframe. LTA will monitor their operations and assess their track record in managing indiscriminate parking, among other factors, before they are allowed to obtain a full licence.
We will also continue to provide more bicycle parking to cater to a growing number of cyclists. Since 2019, LTA and other agencies have added about 40,000 new bicycle parking lots, and now, have over 246,000 lots across the island. With all these measures in place, we hope that all users will play their part and park their bicycles in a responsible manner.