Dockless bike sharing in Singapore: perceptions of stakeholders, tensions of management, and implications for the public space

Abstract

ABSTRACT Dockless bike sharing has experienced remarkable expansion, with significant impacts on public spaces and intense social debates. This paper presents a case study of Singapore to analyze perceptions of different stakeholders about dockless bike sharing within the public domain. A content analysis of 229 news articles is conducted, where the entire process and focused topics are summarized, and perceptions of four stakeholders are mapped and compared. Debates among stakeholders focused on its role in the transport system, severity and causes of indiscriminate parking, and the strictness of regulatory requirements. The core was managing its usage of public space, involving tensions between under and over management. Two dilemmas are highlighted, including oversupply against low bike density, and flexible parking against high expectations of orderliness and cleanliness. Nevertheless, it is argued that dockless bike sharing can be a catalyst for promoting cycling and reinventing public space, with advocating three interconnected opportunities.