No fixed rental or return locations! Haikou Public Bicycles oBike Launched — Free Until May 14

▲ Haikou oBike Trial Launch (Photo / Provided by Hualien County Government)



The Hualien County Government has adopted Singapore’s “oBike” dockless shared bicycle system, deploying approximately 560 bikes in the urban area of Hualien. During the trial operation period from now until May 14, the public can ride for free. The county government’s Tourism Department stated that the service will gradually expand to tourist attractions and areas with high public demand. oBike is rolling out the bikes in batches, with the first wave providing 560 bicycles. It is expected that up to 2,000 bikes will be deployed across various townships and cities in the future.

The public can currently spot the bright orange oBikes at locations such as Hualien Railway Station, senior and vocational high schools, the county government office, Far Eastern Department Store, Showtime Cinemas, and Pacific Park.Bicycles have no fixed parking stations. For exact bike locations, please check the app map..

Peng Weizu, acting director of the county government’s Tourism Department, said the oBike system does not require fixed rental or return points. Unlike traditional or other existing public bicycle systems in Taiwan, such as Taipei’s YouBike, Kaohsiung’s City Bike, and Pingtung’s PBike, users only need to follow two simple steps to easily rent a bike.

First, download the “oBike App” and register. First-time users must link a credit card or PayPal account to pay for future usage fees and a deposit.
Second, scan the QR code on the bike to unlock it automatically. Once finished, there’s no need to return the bike to a specific location — simply park it in a motorcycle parking space or on the side of the road or in an open area where it doesn’t obstruct traffic, then manually lock it.

oBike is available for free public trial until May 14. In the future, the fee will be adjusted to NT$3 per 15 minutes. Users can currently pay via credit card or PayPal. To provide users with more convenient and diverse payment options, the county government continues to discuss with oBike the possibility of offering other payment methods, such as paying via mobile phone bills.