Bike rental starts off in low gear

The Beijing government said an upgraded bicycle rental service, which is supposed to serve all Beijingers including expats, who can use it with their passports, was launched Wednesday.

Yet the Global Times found that foreigners still cannot get a rental card even with a passport. And some other problems were also exposed because the service system has not been upgraded completely.

"These upgrades will hopefully take effect after October 15th," Wang Wanling, Chaoyangmen service station manager, told the Global Times.

Main problems in the system include the lack of a compensation system or English language assistance. 

"Without a compensation system, it's hard to keep a good maintenance of these bikes, since users currently do not have to pay for any damages or losses of their rented bikes," said Li Luming, official spokesperson of Beijing GoldeNet Communication Technology Company, the company that oversees the daily operation of the system.

Another thing lacking in the service is English language assistance for foreigners. Li concedes that Beijing GoldeNet Communication Technology Company presently does not employ English-speaking service providers.

"Working out an English speaking service is the top priority of our work in the future," he said.

Two districts, Dongcheng and Chaoyang, have been supplied with 2,000 rental bikes at 63 roadside stations. The rental capacity will expand to 7,000 bikes in Beijing if the service turns out to be successful. The service aims to allow tourists and locals living outside the city to use bikes as an alternative means of transport to cars, subways and buses, according to Li.

"Currently, there are three rental registration offices located in Beijing, including the east side of the Chaoyangmen Subway Station and Nongzhanguan Lu in Chaoyang district, where the population is more concentrated," Li said.

Wang explained that the rental bikes will be available every day between 6 am and midnight, adding that "users who do not return bikes on time face fines of one yuan per hour from a standard deposit of 200 yuan ($31.84)." 

However, residents found several difficulties in renting the bikes.    

Gary Clarken, an expat in Beijing working as a pilot, said that he expects to have more options over the color and style of the bike since only one style in red is currently available.

"Honestly, I think these bikes look pretty ugly. You want to feel proud of whatever method of transportation you're using, right? Of course you don't want to make them too good-looking in case people are tempted to steal them, but what more can you want for free?"

Certain aspects of the service have also left even some Chinese users baffled. Yang Liu, a 33 year-old Beijinger who works in international trade, offered her view of the service to the Global Times.

"There is no easy way for people to find out about this service," she explains, "It took someone to go through the whole complex procedure for me to know what to do."

However, Yang says that the service is "convenient both for getting to and from my workplace and to places I often visit in town." 

Beijing GoldeNet Communication Technology Company currently employs five attendants to ensure the maintenance of all the bicycles in Beijing. Beijing's service could be said to resemble London's Barclays Cycle Hire launched in 2010, which operates on a temporary electronic key-owner recognition system following online payment.

"The government has offered full financial support for this service. Previously, we only had 1,000 bikes in the pilot program in June. Now in the second term of the program, the number has reached 3,000. If the service proves successful, there will be more bikes and more districts involved." Li said, "Anyone with inquiries can contact the company on our hotline at 400-088-7806."