Shared-bike users in Singapore were hit with about 148,000 instances of a S$5 penalty fee for improper parking in the first seven months of 2026.
That is already substantially more than the roughly 90,000 penalty instances recorded for the whole of 2025.
Around 4,800 repeat offenders were also banned from using shared-bike services between January and July 2026, according to figures released by the Ministry of Transport (MOT). That was about the same number of users banned throughout all of 2025.
The figures refer to penalty instances, rather than 148,000 different riders.
About 15,000 Complaints Received in Just 7 Months
Improperly parked shared bicycles have also generated more public feedback.
MOT said about 12,000 pieces of feedback relating to bicycles parked outside designated areas were received in 2025.
From January to July 2026 alone, the number had reached about 15,000.
Despite that increase, around 95% of shared-bike trips between January 2025 and July 2026 still ended at designated bicycle parking areas.
The 15,000 feedback cases in the first seven months of 2026 made up about 0.1% of overall shared-bike usage during that period.
Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow said in a written parliamentary reply on 8 September that the rise in penalties and bans reflected both higher usage of shared bicycles and stronger enforcement.
Separately, the Municipal Services Office told 8world that between August 2025 and August 2026, the OneService platform received an average of about 1,200 reports on improperly parked shared bicycles each month.
How the S$5 Penalty Works
Shared bicycles are supposed to be returned to designated parking areas.
LTA requires operators to integrate its QR-code parking system into their apps. Riders have to park within an approved area and scan the QR code there when ending their trip.
Users who fail to do so can be charged an additional S$5 by the operator.
Repeat offenders can also be banned across shared-bike operators. LTA has previously stated that users who improperly park shared bicycles at least three times in a calendar year can be banned from all bike-sharing services for at least a month.
Operators themselves also have responsibilities.
They must remove improperly parked bicycles within a stipulated period and enforce the parking rules on users.
MOT said in February 2026 that operators which fail to meet these requirements can face measures including a reduction in fleet size, suspension or revocation of their licence, or financial penalties of up to S$100,000 or 10% of annual turnover, whichever is higher.
Singapore Currently Has 60,000 Shared Bicycles
LTA told 8world that operators are currently allowed to run a combined fleet of 60,000 shared bicycles.
Anywheel operates 35,000 bicycles, while HelloRide has 25,000.
Anywheel told 8world that it receives an average of about 50 improper-parking reports a day this year, compared with roughly 30 a day last year. However, the company said its ridership has approximately doubled over the same period.
The operator has increased its manpower by about 60% and uses a system that tracks bicycle numbers at different locations so bicycles can be redistributed when parking points become overcrowded.
HelloRide, meanwhile, told 8world that its permitted fleet had grown by 10,000 bicycles over two years to 25,000, while monthly rides were approaching two million.
Both operators said busy transport hubs remain among the more challenging locations to manage because large numbers of bicycles can arrive within a short period.
