Shared Bicycles in China

Hop On and Off: Bicycle Sharing in China

Christopher KL Lau

Bicycles have always been a familiar sight within China and until recently, it seemed that bicycles were set to be slowly replaced by automobiles. This shift has now been reversed as "Bike-sharing" is the latest trend in China. This new mode of transportation is changing the landscape of many cities in China as the pace of modern life picks up and people seek travel as quickly and cheaply as possible.

Ofo shared bicycles in Beijing. — Ofo shared bicycles in Beijing

Get around Beijing on two wheels. — Get around Beijing on two wheels

Mobile Apps & GPS

The simplicity of the scheme has given rise to the popularity of bike-sharing amongst many Chinese urbanites; the bikes are 'locked' and 'unlocked' by riders by using a mobile app and these brightly coloured bikes have inundated the streets of many major cities.

The costs involved are low and after paying a deposit of a few hundred RMB; each ride can be as cheap as one yuan (RMB) for at least 30 minutes.

Importantly and also a major selling point (though also a problem), bikes do not have to be placed back to where they originally were picked up from or in a docking station, so riders can simply drop their bikes off when they reach their destination.

From there, another user can pick up the bike and so forth often scanning a QR code on their phones. A majority of the bicycles have a GPS system in built so the companies can continually track the bicycles around the city.

Shared bicycles in Beijing. — Shared bicycles in Beijing

Problems

However, one problem of not returning rented bicycles to a "docking station" (as is the practice in such cities as London and Paris) is the sheer number of bicycles that have been left haphazardly, often blocking sidewalks and the entrances to subway stations.

Since September 2017, Beijing has banned new deliveries to the capital's 15 bicycle rental companies, while it decides on how to systemize parking for the estimated 2.4 million shared cycles in the city. In China as a whole there are thought to be around 16 million shared bicycles. Guangzhou, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Wuhan have also banned new additions to their city's shared bike pools.

One bike-share company Wukong Bikes aimed at students in Chongqing did not put GPS on their bikes and recently went bankrupt when 1,200 of their bicycles went missing.

Cycling in Beijing. — Shared bicycles in Beijing

For a first time visitor, the number of bikes lined up neatly next to each other is quite the sight to see and tourists can no doubt benefit from the services on offer once they register online.

The major players in the Chinese market, at this moment, are Mobike (supported by media company Tencent) and ofo (backed by Internet retail giant Alibaba) but there is a growing number of competitors entering the market which keeps the major companies on their toes.

Mobike have also expanded their bike-sharing scheme to Singapore and Manchester in the UK, while ofo (known as obike in the UK) are expanding in London.

Transportation around cities in China has never been easier though safety is always a concern so remember to wear a helmet!

Mobike - www.mobike.com/global

ofo - www.ofo.so