Bike sharing company oBike has announced it will immediately cease all operations in Singapore, where the company was founded, with customers in Singapore and Australia demanding the return of their deposits.

On Monday, the dockless bikeshare company announced it would fold its Singapore operations, 18 months after it was founded in December 2016.

Customers there and in Australia, where oBike also withdrew from the city of Melbourne only weeks ago, have complained on social media that the company is now refusing to refund their deposits.



The company’s announcement on Facebook on Monday was flooded with hundreds of angry messages from Singaporeans asking for the S$49 deposit back, using the hashtag #refundmydeposit.

I am $49 poorer now... until Obike decides to refund me my $49 :( — Michi🦄 【夏色パーティー】 (@michixmame) June 25, 2018

It is unclear what the abrupt announcement means for the company’s global operations and the thousands of bikes it owns in 24 different countries around the world.



When Guardian Australia attempted to contact the company on Tuesday, the Australian customer support line was disconnected. Emails requesting comment were not returned.

Australian customers also took to social media to complain that the company had failed to refund deposits, even after weeks of asking.

One customer, Joshua Williams, said he was yet to receive his deposit or even an email response.

“For a service I never actually used it’s quite frustrating to be out of pocket and not receive any answers,” he told Guardian Australia in a message.

“Based on what I am reading on their Facebook page it seems to be a common problem and it looks as if some people have waited many more months than myself and have received nothing from them.

In countries such as Australia and Malaysia, oBike is one of the largest bike sharing companies in the market. At launch, the company had 1,250 bikes in Melbourne and 1,000 in Sydney.



The company’s withdrawal from Singapore is a result of new regulations that forced bikeshare companies to be licensed, and to limit fleet sizes, the company said.

“oBike is announcing its decision to cease operation in Singapore as a result of difficulties foreseen to be experienced to fulfil the new requirements and guidelines released by Land Transport Authority towards dockless bicycle sharing in Singapore,” it said.

On June 12, the company pulled out of Melbourne for similar reasons. The City of Melbourne had impounded the bikes, threatened to fine companies $3,000 for bike littering, and told residents not to use them.

Since its launch in Australia, dockless bikesharing has attracted criticism from users and local councils for causing clutter.



High profile incidents, such as when 40 bikes were fished out of Melbourne’s Yarra River, spurred the council to clamp down on the company.