BlueSG CEO reportedly says deal to sell cars to Tribecar still being finalised
Car-sharing firm Tribecar is reportedly in talks to repurpose BlueSG’s cars, weeks after the latter paused its car-sharing operations.
In a Facebook post by Tribecar on Sunday (24 Aug), the company announced it was launching a new fleet of electric vehicles.
However, eagle-eyed netizens noticed that the yellow cars named “Le Blu Frenchy” looked strikingly similar to BlueSG’s.
Source: Tribecar on Facebook
Tribecar offers rentals of up to 2 years, unlike BlueSG
In the post, which has gained more than 500 reactions and 250 comments since, Tribecar said Le Blu Frenchy is a four-seater that can travel up to 180km on a full charge.
That means most Singaporeans would have to charge it only once every two to three days, or nightly, as one would with a phone.
Unlike BlueSG, which offered point-to-point service, customers can rent the car for longer-term periods of between three months and two years.
The first 10 customers to sign on for a two-year rental will get a promotional rate of S$799 per month, a discount of about 10% from the normal rate of S$888 per month.
Tribecar initially doesn’t confirm BlueSG connection
However, many netizens who commented on the post focused on the BlueSG connection, some coming right out and asking whether the cars were from BlueSG.
The Tribecar Facebook admin did not initially confirm this, responding only with a “zipper mouth” emoji.
Source: Facebook
But later, a netizen mentioned that the car featured was not the “newer Opel model”, referring to the Opel Corsa-e fleet rolled out by BlueSG in 2022. Some users have said the model is more spacious.
Tribecar’s admin appeared to confirm the BlueSG connection in its response, as it said they “couldn’t do the new Corsa-e at this price point”.
Source: Facebook
Tribecar also assured another commenter that they would always do up their cars nicely before handing them over to customers.
Source: Facebook
BlueSG car parked at Tribecar office
When Channel NewsAsia (CNA) visited Tribecar’s office along Guillemard Road, they saw a BlueSG car parked there, next to a ‘Le Blu Frenchy’.
In response to CNA’s queries, BlueSG CEO Keith Kee said his company was in discussions with Tribecar on the potential sale of its cars.
He could not share more details as negotiations are ongoing, but reportedly said:
This move is intended to advance our shared goal of reducing carbon emissions and to support Singapore’s broader sustainability agenda by extending the Bluecar fleet’s lifecycle through Tribecar’s platform.
Tribecar remained tight-lipped on the identity of its seller, but told CNA that it is bringing in “a few hundred selected electric vehicles that are in good condition”.
BlueSG paused car-sharing operations on 8 Aug
Earlier this month, BlueSG announced a pause to its car-sharing operations from 8 Aug as it upgrades its platform.
Mr Kee said at the time that its existing vehicles would be decommissioned or repurposed and were “not likely” to be used after the upgrade.
BlueSg also laid off an unspecified number of employees, describing it as a “difficult decision to streamline operations significantly”.
The company aims to roll out the new platform next year.
Also read: BlueSG lays off staff before pausing car-sharing operations from 8 Aug, plans ‘bold upgrade’
BlueSG lays off staff before pausing car-sharing operations from 8 Aug, plans ‘bold upgrade’
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Featured image adapted from Tribecar on Facebook and from TheSmartLocal.
