Alipay, the online and mobile payment platform operated by Ant Financial, has teamed up with six bike-rental apps to allow users to rent 6 million bikes in 50 cities across China directly through the app’s new “scan and ride” function. Users can unlock any ofo, YouonBike, Bluebike, hellobike, Ubike or funbike vehicle simply by scanning […]
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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 The draft guidance provides that rental bikes should meet national and industry standards, and requires rental bikes should be equipped with smart locks and the satellite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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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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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 […]
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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 […]
