It only took four days of being in business, but an electric bicycle-sharing company based in Beijing was ordered to remove their e-bikes from the capital's streets, China Daily reports.
This particular company, called Xiaomi, had a fleet of 50 electric bicycles which were primarily used along Line 10. Similar to other bike-sharing companies, like Mobike, Xiaomi e-bikes can be rented by scanning QR codes.
However, a few days into the company’s operation the Beijing Traffic Management Bureau announced that Xiaomi's e-bikes failed to comply with local regulations. The main issue was that the bikes didn’t have license plates. In Beijing, it is illegal to ride electric bikes without license plates.
However, there are also general concerns over e-bike safety in Beijing. E-bikes, such as Xiaomi’s, travel at much higher speeds than the traditional bicycles that are rented through companies like ofo and Mobike.
READ MORE: How to Rent a Mobike (AKA Cycling's Answer to Uber) in China
In response to the suspension, Xiaomi said that their e-bike sharing system is still in its testing phase and that the company will be getting license plates on all vehicles before they will resume operation.
In the wake of China’s bike sharing boom, e-bike sharing is becoming all the rage in Beijing (and China). There are currently 10 major electric bike-sharing companies operating in China. But due to safety concerns it remains to be seen how these companies will fare.
[Image via China Daily]
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