Recently, you may have noticed that a different type of Mobike has appeared on the streets of Shanghai. According to Shine, these bikes are part of the bike-sharing firm's plan to replace old and broken bikes around the city.
Unlike the previous model, the latest version takes orange and white as its primary colors. In addition to the refreshing appearance, the new bicycles are lighter and cause less friction.
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,” he further advised.
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 bio-safely 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 thousand 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]