The Suwon city government and Singapore-based station-less bicycle-sharing system O-bike held a launch event on Monday to celebrate the beginning of an unmanned bike rental system that makes use of the latest technology including automatic unlocking and data analysis. (Image: Suwon City Government)
SUWON, Dec. 12 (Korea Bizwire) — A new smart bike rental service equipped with GPS and IoT technology was launched in Suwon this week.
The Suwon city government and Singapore-based station-less bicycle-sharing system O-bike held a launch event on Monday to celebrate the beginning of an unmanned bike rental system that makes use of the latest technology including automatic unlocking and data analysis.
Using the smartphone app ‘O-bike’, anyone can rent a bicycle by scanning a QR code to unlock a Bluetooth lock after paying a deposit of 29,000 won, which will is returned when the membership is cancelled.
Unlike other bicycle apps, the O-bike system doesn’t require docking stations or kiosks, and users can leave their bicycles at designated areas across the city.
Currently, up to 9,000 bicycles can be parked at 900 locations in Suwon.
The rental rates begin at 250 won for 15 minutes, going up to 590 won for 75 minutes. For less than 1,000 won, users can ride a bike for more than five hours, while complimentary service is being offered during the trial period.
With Chinese smart bicycle rental service Mobike expected to begin a similar service in Suwon in the near future, around 10,000 bicycles will be available for rent in March of next year.
“We made it a requirement for sharing services to provide at least 3,000 bicycles so that local residents don’t experience any inconvenience from a lack of availability. By attracting a number of private rental service providers, we are reducing prices as well as providing quality services,” a Suwon government official said.
Ashley Song (ashley@koreabizwire.com)
