Children under 12 banned from using shared bikes

Shared bikes must be scrapped after three years of use and have a GPS positioning function, and children under the age of 12 will be banned from using the bikes, according to draft regulations from Shanghai government.

Shanghai government said that an investigation has showed that the bikes produced under current national standards might have potential safety problems after being in high demand and over long distances.

The draft rules showed that shared bikes must be produced to meet national standards and be scrapped after three years' use. Parts from scrapped bikes cannot be used to assemble new bikes. Privately owned bikes are banned from the service.

The investigation also showed that companies put too many bikes on the market as there aren't enough workers for management and maintenance. Problems also include misplacing bikes and the unclear management of cash deposits.

Guo Jianrong, secretary-general of the Shanghai Bicycle Association, said that misplacing bikes is a big problem in urban management, and Shanghai government is expected to offer parking places for shared bikes.

The draft regulations require shared bikes to be installed with positioning devices, which would help the companies and users find the bikes, Gou said. He said that some companies now can't even find their own bikes.

Guo pointed out that some companies focus on putting new bikes on the market and leave old ones on the streets, occupying public spaces. He suggested the companies should put bikes in both downtown areas and the suburbs.

The companies should have enough workers to manage their bikes on the streets, and the standard should follow 50 service workers for each 10,000 shared bikes, compared with 100 servicemen for each 10,000 bikes at fixed pick-up points, Guo said.

The draft regulations also include that 95 percent of shared bikes on the market must be in good condition and 98 percent of the batteries on electric bikes must be good.

Bike share users should be from 1.45 meters to 1.95 meters tall and ages 12 to 70. People over 70 must provide their health documentation to apply to use the bikes.

Companies must repay users' cash deposits within seven days after users meet requirements.

Bike sharing apps also should be compatible to other sharing services.