50,000 Old Shared Bikes to be Replaced by New Mobikes

By Urban Family, July 16, 2018

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

By Yuzhou Hu

You may have noticed that a different type of Mobike has appeared on the streets of Shanghai recently. According to Shine, these bikes are part of the bike-sharing firm's plan to replace those pesky old and broken bikes that are scattered around the city.

Unlike the previous model, the latest version takes orange and white as its primary colors. In addition to the new look, the bikes are lighter and easier to ride.

Comparision between new and old Mobike bikes. Images via Sina and Kankanews

This Mobike replacement plan was given the green light following a policy change by the Shanghai Municipal Transportation Commission. The policy had previously banned new bikes in Shanghai due to the frustration they have continually caused the city.

That being said, to dispatch new shared bikes, Mobike is required to follow specific regulations. “Every old bike must be registered on the government database,” Zhu Qian, director of public relations of Mobike, announced to Netease. “We can only release as many new bikes to replace the number of old ones we have registered.”

Image via Sohu

According to Zhu, all old bikes will be returned to the factories. After close examination, components such as intelligent locks and solar panels will be reused and the rest of the bikes will be disposed. “In total, we aim to collect at least 50,000 old bicycles,” said Zhu.

Apart from allowing new shared bikes on the streets, the local traffic authority may have other plans for them. “The authority is considering to lower the number of shared bikes. By the time the new regulation is released, maybe only 900,000 bikes will be allowed to remain on the street, which is half the current number of bikes,” Wu Zhidong, from the shared electric bike firm Xiangqi, told Shine.

[Top image via Netease]

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).