Chinese cities regulate bike sharing service

HANGZHOU — Hangzhou, capital of East China's Zhejiang province, issued a guideline Friday to regulate the city's booming bike-sharing market.

There are now around 448,600 for-hire bikes from 10 companies on the streets of Hangzhou.

"Problems such as haphazard parking and too many bicycles in crowded areas have disrupted traffic order," said Wu Zhirong, deputy director with the transport bureau of Hangzhou.

The guideline also ordered bike-sharing companies to have designated bank accounts to keep deposits, which should not be put to other use.

The guideline also demanded bike-sharing companies to assign at least one maintenance worker for 120 bikes.

It encouraged operators to use electronic fences or cooperate with third-party companies to help them in bike parking management.

He Xiongbiao, deputy director with Hangzhou road transport management bureau, said that the city will set up a supervisory platform before the end of this year, offering real-time data to help operators put their bikes where they are most needed.

China now has around 70 bike-sharing brands, with more than 16 million bicycles on streets nationwide and 130 million users, according to the Ministry of Transport.

In order to regulate the industry, Chinese cities such as Beijing, Shenzhen and Tianjin have already issued such guidelines.