(From left) Ng and oBike (M) Sdn Bhd marketing manager Elaine Chan with KTM Bhd corporate communications head Ridhwan Arshad and Khair at the launch of the oBike at the Subang Jaya KTM station
INSTEAD of walking, hitching a ride in a car or taking a bus, you can now cycle to your next destination as you step out of the Subang Jaya KTM station.
Fifteen bicycles by oBike (M) Sdn Bhd are now available for rent at the station.
The oBike is a station-less bicycle sharing platform, which aims to change short-distance transportation through the use of technology.
The service is a collaboration between KTM Bhd (through its KTM Komuter service) and oBike to reduce travel time to or from home to the nearest bus stop, train station or short-distance destinations.
Commuters can use the service which charges RM1 for a fifteen-minute ride, by using the oBike app found in the App Store or Google Play store.
KTM Komuter is the first rail operator to support and provide the oBike ride-sharing service.
KTM Komuter service general manager Khair Johari Ishak said the bicycle service is an initiative to provide comprehensive transportation network that has continuity between one destination to another.
It is also environmentally-friendly and promotes a healthy lifestyle.
“This is a pilot project and we plan to open more oBike services in about three to five other stations in the Klang Valley,” he said, adding that they had yet to choose the stations.
Khair handing out bubur lambuk to commuters at the Subang Jaya KTM station after the launch of the oBike service
Khair said the service was new in Malaysia and would attract people to give it a try.
“Having it at the KTM Komuter station will be an added value and bring a positive impact to users.
“Indirectly, this effort will also encourage more people to use public services because there is now a wide range of public transport,” he said.
oBike (M) Sdn Bhd business launcher Ng Yong Ching said the oBike service was launched in April and began operating in Sunway City, with about 200 bicycles.
At the Subang Jaya KTM station, the company will provide 15 bicycles and will add more if there is demand.
“All our bicycles come with Bluetooth and GPS, so we will be checking the number of bicycles in the station every four to six hours.
“Once we identify the peak hours of usage, we will then add more bicycles,” he said.
Ng said based on data collected in the past two months, they had 20,000 users, of which 90% use the bicycles to travel up to 3km.
Of that, 40 to 50% of users are students and the rest are the public and tourists.
Although there are possibilities of theft or vandalism, Ng hoped the community would take care of this sharing service.
oBike bicycles are currently located at Sunway City, Subang Jaya, Petaling Jaya, Damansara and Kota Kinabalu.
Users who are 12 years old and above are covered by insurance.
oBike Sdn Bhd is offering “15 free service for 30 minutes” rides this month through the promotion code KTMB.
For details on the service and its promotions, visit the oBikeMY Facebook page.
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