Draft regulation on shared bikes may bring healthy change

Various bicycles are parked at a subway entrance in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, April 4, 2017. [Photo/VCG]

Shared bicycles are a good mode of transport for metropolises like Beijing. They not only make travel greener, but also help people travel the last mile more easily.

That's why shared bicycles have received a warm welcome in the market. As of now, almost 11 million users have registered on one app or another to use shared bicycles in Beijing, and the total number of shared bicycles in the metropolis is about 700,000.

However, the market is somewhat chaotic due to the lack of proper measures to regulate it. Some users leave shared bicycles on the roads or pavements when they have finished using them, creating potential hazards and inconveniencing other users. Some companies require cash pledges from users, but when a user closes their account it can take a long time before they get their money back.

Beijing's draft regulation addresses some of these issues. For example, it requires the companies to deposit their cash pledges in a special account and to return the pledges within a promised time upon request. A move that better protects the public's legal interests.

Besides, it also requires the companies providing shared bicycles to clearly show on their electronic maps where the users are forbidden from leaving the bicycles. That will help solve one of the major problems with shared bicycles.

The needs of urban management, the bike-sharing companies and users must all be taken into consideration so that bike sharing can be sustained in a healthy manner. We hope the public will actively participate in the discussions so that a balanced regulation can be introduced.