Editor’s note: This originally appeared in our weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get our updates straight to your inbox. This week’s briefing starts off a bit personal. I’ve been in and out of Chinese media and tech since 2010. Since I joined TechNode last November, I’ve told many people the same thing: There’s no […]
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Updated: DiDi will have their own bike rental unit after Bluegogo tie-up
Updated January 9, 2018: This article was updated to include a statement from Didi. Details have been released on the Didi Chuxing and Bluegogo tie-up. According to sources quoted by Pingwest (in Chinese), negotiations between the two mobility firms have been completed but Didi will only take over a part of Bluegogo’s business. Didi plans […]
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Beijing drafts regulations mandating smart locks for bike-rentals in the city
The Beijing government is soliciting public opinion on draft guidelines aimed at reining in the disorderly expansion of the city’s bike-rental sector, local media is reporting (in Chinese). The draft guidance provides that rental bikes should meet national and industry standards, and requires rental bikes should be equipped with smart locks and the satellite positioning system. […]
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Bluegogo CEO announces sale of company, admits to management mistakes in open letter
Founder of Bluegogo, Li Gang authored an open letter on November 16th stating that the Bluegogo has reached a strategic cooperation with Chengdu-based Green Bike-Transit (拜客出行). Green Bike-Transit will be fully authorized to operate the Bluegogo. About the unpaid salary to Bluegogo employees, Li Gang also said, “Owing to everyone’s salary, I will try my best to […]
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Bike-rental firm Youon seeks IPO
Bike-rental firm Youon submitted today an updated initial public offering prospectus to China’s securities regulator, seeking a listing in the country’s A-share market, local media is reporting (in Chinese). If successful, it will be the first bike-rental IPO in the country. Youon Public Bicycle System Co., Ltd. (“常州永安公共自行车系统股份有限公司” in Chinese), the firm behind bike-rental service […]
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Ofo announces partnership with China’s GPS for smart locks
Ofo has announced a strategic partnership with BeiDou Navigation, a Chinese government-backed sattelite positioning system, that will see ofo bikes equipped with Beidou-enabled smart locks, our sister site TechNode Chinese is reporting. Under the agreement, ofo’s bikes furnished with the BeiDou-enabled smart lock will be first launched in Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei province. In addition, users […]
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Ofo announces deposit free rides for users with good Sesame Credit score
Chinese bike-rental company Ofo announced on Thursday (in Chinese) a strategic cooperation deal with Sesame Credit, a social credit scoring system developed by Ant Financial Services Group. Ant Financial is a subsidiary of Alibaba and operator of Alipay and other Alibaba-backed financial services. Under the deal, new Ofo users with a Sesame Credit score of 650 […]
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Beijing orders halt to electric bicycle-sharing service E-zebra
Beijing authorities recently ordered a halt to electric bicycle-sharing service E-zebra (in Chinese), citing safety and legitimacy concerns. In addition, users of the service were first notified yesterday (March 7, 2017) and then again today about an interruption in service due to maintenance. Customer service representatives have not able to confirm when the service will be back […]
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Video: Behind-the-scenes at one of ofo’s largest bike makers
For China’s increasingly picky bike renters, ease of access is one of the key determinants when choosing from a rainbow of similar bikes. After all, there’s no user experience to speak of if the service isn’t available. Because of this, speed is everything for bike rental companies as they scramble to stake their claim. As […]
