Mobike does away with deposits in China

Meituan-owned bike rental firm Mobike has removed deposits for all users in China in an effort to standardize its deposit system.

In May, the company began trialing deposit-free rides in Hefei, Hangzhou, Dongguan, and other cities.  The trial area was then extended to one hundred areas around the country, including second and third-tier cities. However, a number of first-tier cities were excluded from the trial.

Deposit-free rides will now be standard across the country. Existing users can apply to have their deposits refunded. According to a Mobike representative, if a warning appears in the app when you try to use the platform after being refunded, you will need to update the app. If it is up to date, the server is giving an old message, and it will work nonetheless.

What you get

Full access to all premium content and our full archives

Members'-only newsletters

Preferential access and discounts to all TechNode events

Direct access to the TechNode newsroom