A new electric scooter sharing platform will be available in September 2017 in the heartland and downtown areas.

A soft launch in end-August will see docks deployed at ManuLife Centre, Republic Plaza, Tiong Bahru Plaza and City Square Mall.

Cost of rental

The e-scooters will cost S$2 for 30 minutes, with the first 10 minutes free.

This new ride is by PopScoot, a Singapore-based company started in April this year.

How it works in real life

PopScoot will run on a bluetooth app-based unlocking system, releasing the e-scooters from their docks via mobile phones.

The in-app GPS also lets users locate available scooters, and tracks their travelling routes.

Depending on the location, the e-scooters can also be deployed without a dock or in a self-charging docked system.

The e-scooters are also supported by a remote immobilisation capability.

Stolen e-scooters previously

A previous Singaporean startup Telepod had already fallen victim to its first e-scooter theft.

This was after the company launched Singapore’s first e-scooter sharing service with its maiden docking station at Suntec City Mall in early June, and have since introduced stops at Bugis and one-north MRT stations, Ayer Rajah and Biopolis.

On July 9, the company announced their e-scooters were stolen “in the dead of night”.

But they subsequently managed to get all of them back safely, with at least one thief caught by the police.

How it works in theory

This is the idealised version of PopScoot, in a Singapore devoid of humidity and torrential downpours:

" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen">

Here are some totally unrelated but equally interesting stories:

Things to know to prevent your boss from makan-ing you because you blur blur sign contract

Quiz: What kind of Singaporean will you be in a crisis?