Open bails, the chaos of the wheel: Obikes in crisis



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The Singapore-based bike rental company, Obike, reportedly has financial problems. It is therefore mainly payments open to customers. Shortly after the LTA (Land Transport Authority) introduced bike rental fees, the start-up announced on June 25 that it would terminate its service in Singapore. Users then demanded a bail of 49 Singapore dollars (just under 31 €)

The repayment of these deposits is still pending, according to the local magazine Today. Overall, Obike is therefore with 6.3 million Singapore dollars (3.95 million euros) in the debt of its users. Two insolvency administrators are ordained, he continues . However, it is clear from the vendor's statements to the magazine that it's unclear whether the startup will pay its debts at all.

Obike is still represented on the streets of Singapore with tens of thousands of rented bicycles without a seat. According to the traffic authority, the company has eliminated only 1,000 wheels. For the evacuation of the remaining mbad, the LTA gave the start time until the end of this month. In 1965, drivers in Germany did not have to pay bail for the use of Obike. However, the start-up had also planned a withdrawal of its bicycles in this country: just six months after the launch in August 2016, it announced last March to withdraw 6,000 of its 7,000 wheels from Munich and distribute them to d & # 39; 39, other cities. However, the process is not yet complete, as reported by the Munich newspaper tz: The bikes are still there – and the city does not reach the company to refuse the continuation of the procedure. Munich Cycling Commissioner Florian Paul told the newspaper: "Obike is dead."

In Germany, the company is "currently unavailable"

Even the German start of Obike was bumpy. Munich complained about the mbadive presence of bicycles around the rental bike provider. In an interview with NGIN Mobility and the startup scene, the then German CEO, Marco Piu, who in the meantime left the company, promised shortly thereafter. The supplier's goal is to be present in major European cities by the end of 2018. In Berlin, the supplier with the yellow-gray wheels was launched in the middle of autumn 2017 , not just for the high season bike. Apparently, they wanted to hurry up to be available as quickly as possible in the capital. There is a lot of competition in Berlin: borrowers can borrow here, for example, from Mobike, Ofo, Nextbike and Lidl.

We do not see how things are happening now with Obike in Germany. The startup's PR agency claims that she has not been responsible for starting since May. Current contacts are not known. The number listed on the provider's site is "currently unavailable". The announcement on Aus in Singapore only said: "The decision will not affect Obikes' activities in other countries." The provider's Facebook page has been active in recent days.

Image: Obike

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