Over 6,000 Shared-Bike Parking Zones Coming to Beijing

By Ellie Dunnigan, May 31, 2019

Beginning in June, Beijing will see its first wave of designated parking zones for Mobike, Ofo, Bianlifeng and Didi bikes, reports China Daily.

For users of these four bike-sharing apps, this means no more leaving bikes wherever you please. Failure to comply with new parking zones will lead to fines charged through the mobile app.

The first time users park outside of a designated area, they will receive a warning in their bike-sharing app. The second time, they’ll be fined RMB2, and a fee of RMB5 will be dispatched for each repeated violation. Given the affordability of shared bikes, where a 15-minute ride often costs just RMB1, these fees aren’t insignificant.

Bike-sharing companies have agreed to move improperly parked or broken bikes within 15 minutes of receiving an in-app report of the violation, and will clear full parking zones regularly to create space for new bikes.

Electronically monitored parking areas have already started claiming their space in the city's Dongcheng district, with about 150 zones around the Forbidden City and shopping areas within Wangfujing. The district aims to create at least 6,000 more parking areas in the coming months, beginning with sites around subway stations, hospitals and stores. District officials hope to see one parking zone every 300 meters. Xicheng district will likely be the next to welcome designated parking zones.

Beijing, home to nearly two million shared bikes, is one of several cities to set a cap on the total number of shared bikes available at a given time. Officials hope that this limit, in conjunction with new monitored parking areas, will relieve busy areas from the constant eyesore of improperly parked bike piles.

[Cover photo via Bloomberg]