According to transportation expert Tham Chen Munn, any bike-sharing business model may include a better chance of coming to fruition if businesses improved their marketing strategy for the start.
He noted that some providers frequently misunderstand their user profiles by focusing on advantages like decarbonization and adopting” car-lite” strategies.
However, the reality is that regular users are” not bothered at all” by these advantages; they just want to get from Point A to Point B.
” ( Whether ) I’m a first- time or regular user, I want to know where are the bikes, are the bikes in good working condition … the more useful information. Not ( whether ) I can save 10kg of carbon”, he said.  ,  ,
While online critics have frequently attributed a lack of political engagement to bike-sharing bouncing in Singapore, Mr. Tham believes this is “human nature” rather than Singaporean-specific behavior.
Should A SPECIAL BUSINESS MODEL APPEAR?
Mr. Tham suggested a model where a software makes it easier for neighbors to bike-share with one another or for people who have their own bikes.
” I am aware that many of my neighbors have bicycles that are n’t in use. Is there a plan where, maybe, we can rent out specific motorbikes to families? The energetic mobility expert explained that because various people have different requirements, some may require the basket provider and so on.
” Little things like that… maybe a bike-sharing business can expand because they are reaching out to a customer base who ( wants to ) use bicycles for various reasons.”
However, any bike-sharing unit must first establish a clear line between the needs of the public and the company, according to Assoc Prof Theseira.
What you will likely end up with are very limited types of bike-sharing that only occur in nearby geographical areas where it’s cost-effective to supply, he said.
” For instance, you may support college campuses which are a little spread out, the CBD (central company city ) or gardens. This may or may not help the objectives of public transportation.
” Cherry- picking” in a competitive business environment may end in “more attractive” areas being identified and supplied, while nobody will want to provide areas which are more marginal, Assoc Prof Theseira added.
Doing so, however, also creates the possibility that some markets are n’t large enough to support multiple companies.
And this leads to return, he noted,” as we’ve seen some days before”.