Mobikes Are Being Replaced by Meituan Bikes in Shanghai

By Urban Family, July 29, 2019

This article originally appeared on our sister website, Urban Family Shanghai.

By Yuzhou Hu

Remember earlier this year when we reported that Mobike won’t be a thing in the future? Well, that day has finally arrived. Meituan-Dianping – the food delivery platform which acquired Mobike last April – has officially begun replacing Mobikes with Meituan bikes, reports Shine.

Over the weekend, the first batch of new bikes appeared on the streets of Huangpu district and Pudong New Area. The new bikes are much different than the iconic Mobikes. First, the primary color has changed from the orange to yellow, Meituan’s signature color. In addition, the new bikes can only be unlocked using the Meituan app. The Mobike app and mini program in WeChat won’t do the job anymore.

Image via The Paper

If it’s any comfort, all the data – including credits and monthly passes – from the Mobike app will be completely preserved and transferred to the Meituan app. Users can register and log into the app with their original Mobike account.

“Together we plan to replace 40,000 bikes this time,” said Zhu Qian, director of public relations of Mobike. According to Zhu, they will strictly follow the regulations of the Shanghai Municipal Transportation Commission. They plan to release one bike for every old bike that has been recycled. The company will not increase the current number of the bikes on the streets of Shanghai.

Image via The Paper

Without a doubt, netizens are having a hard time accepting the change.

“Why can’t they keep the old design?” asked one netizen. “I find the new look quite ugly and I can easily mistake it for an Ofo bike.”

“Once there were assorted bikes in different colors from the spectrum,” commented another. “Now only two colors remain.”

Image via The Paper

It remains to be seen whether this change will breathe new life into the shared bike industry. After being acquired by Meituan, Mobike brought the company a profit of RMB15 billion (USD2.2 billion) in 2018, as well as a deficit of RMB45 billion (USD6.5 billion).

[Cover image via The Paper]

This article was originally published by our sister magazine Urban Family Shanghai. For more articles like this, visit the Urban Family website, or follow the Urban Family WeChat account (ID: urbanfamilyshanghai).