Rows of public bicycles are placed by the roadside, with few people renting them.
Promoting cycling as a means of transportation is the top choice for green travel. However, according to data from the city's traffic management department, the proportion of residents in the city who cycle is still less than 20%, and it has been declining by 2% to 4% annually. The public bicycle service system launched in the city last year has been in operation for half a year now, but why are some rows of public bicycles by the roadside not getting much attention? Is it convenient to rent a public bicycle for travel? With these questions in mind, a reporter conducted an investigation.
Investigation 1
Why Have Some Public Bicycles Become Decorations?
Investigation Locations:
Carrefour (Shuangjing Store), Chuiyangliu, North Gate of Longtan Park, Guangminglou
Investigation Results:
The majority of public bicycle users are young and middle-aged adults, mostly using them for short commutes such as going to work or shopping.
Carrying a large bag of newly purchased items, Wang Jia, in her early thirties, arrived at a public bicycle rental service point at the southwest corner of Carrefour (Shuangjing Store). After putting her shopping bags in the basket, she skillfully swiped her "Yikatong" card, heard the voice prompt "Rental successful, please take the bike," pushed out the bicycle, and rode off. After about twenty minutes of cycling, she arrived at another rental point near Chuiyangliu to return the bike, which was not far from her residential community.
Wang Jia told the reporter that she is busy with work, so every weekend she does her weekly grocery shopping in one go. The distance from where she lives to the supermarket is not very far—just two or three kilometers—but driving there is a one-pedal trip, yet parking is often unavailable due to limited spaces. Walking takes over forty minutes one way, and carrying the groceries is tiring. Therefore, cycling is the most suitable option.
But buying a bicycle just for weekly shopping is definitely not cost-effective. Just as Wang Jia was struggling to decide on a mode of transport for her supermarket trips, an unexpected discovery delighted her: "One day last June, I saw a row of brand-new red-and-white bicycles by the roadside near my community. Upon asking, I learned it was a new public bicycle rental service point where you can rent bikes using your bus IC card, and the first hour is free."
What delighted Wang Jia even more was that there was also such a rental point near the Carrefour supermarket she frequents. The two rental points were perfectly connected, allowing her to enjoy a seamless rental and return experience. "Now shopping at the supermarket is so convenient—I don’t have to worry about finding parking, nor do I have to carry all my bags home on foot. It saves time and effort, keeps me fit, and offers multiple benefits!" Wang Jia recommended her rental experience to friends and family.
However, there aren't many "renters" like Wang Jia. The reporter visited multiple public bicycle rental service points in the city and found that the rental market is relatively quiet. Even during peak hours in the morning and evening, some rental points had bicycles "sleeping" by the roadside. On holidays, over 70% of the public bicycles were idle, and at some rental points, not a single bicycle was rented out.
The reporter randomly interviewed over a dozen citizens of different age groups by the roadside. The vast majority of elderly people, due to physical limitations, rarely choose public bicycles as their mode of transport. Young and middle-aged adults are the largest "customer base" for public bicycles. While they generally believe cycling is environmentally friendly, they also cited various reasons for not wanting to rent and ride:
"Public transportation and subways are convenient and time-saving. Unlike bicycles, which are slow and require you to pedal yourself."
"There aren’t enough well-connected rental points. If I relied on renting a bicycle to commute every day, I could just buy my own bike after a month."
"With so many cars on the road these days, how much exhaust would I be breathing in while cycling?"
The reporter found in the investigation that the current users of public bicycles are mostly young and middle-aged adults, using them mainly for short commutes such as to work, shopping, or transferring to other forms of transit. Rental points with higher usage frequency are often near subway stations, office areas, commercial districts, and regions not well-served by buses. Peak rental times are usually during weekday commuting hours, while usage is relatively low on holidays. The limited number of users and the concentration of rental times result in very low utilization rates for some public bicycles, with some even becoming decorations.
In fact, as people’s lives become faster-paced and their activity radius expands, they tend to prefer fast and convenient modes of transport like buses and subways. Cycling is not only time-consuming and labor-intensive but also subject to limitations such as road conditions and weather. Especially for longer distances, people prioritize buses and subways over bicycles. As a result, compared to taking the bus or subway, public bicycles are often "left out."
Investigation 2
Can There Be More Card Registration and Rental Service Points?
Investigation Locations: Longtan Community, East Gate of Temple of Heaven, Chaoyangmen Subway Station
Investigation Results:
Due to the limited number of bicycle rental service points and the inability to deposit and retrieve bikes citywide, it is inconvenient for citizens to register, rent, or return bikes, affecting the current utilization rate of public bicycles.
"Can I rent a bike at Wangfujing and return it at Xidan?" the reporter called the Dongcheng District public bicycle rental service hotline.
"Sorry, currently only Dongcheng and Chaoyang districts support deposit and retrieval across the board. So you’d have to ride the bike back from Xidan to Wangfujing to return it," the staff member patiently answered over the phone.
"But I’m not going back to Wangfujing after I’m done. What should I do?" the reporter asked again.
"As long as it’s within Dongcheng or Chaoyang, you can return the bike at any rental point," the staff replied once more.
"So where can I return the bike if I live in Xicheng?" The reporter's follow-up question stumped the staff member.
This wasn't the reporter deliberately making things difficult—there are plenty of "bike renters" who struggle with getting a card or returning a bike. On the afternoon of February 4, the reporter went to a card application point in Longtan Community. After finally managing to get the door open, the female staff member shook her head repeatedly upon hearing it was for a new card: "We stopped issuing them long ago. If you want one, go to the spot near the east gate of Tiantan!"
So, the reporter headed straight to the card application point at the east gate of Tiantan. But upon arrival, the door was locked. After inquiring, they learned that the office closed at 4 p.m. The reporter checked their watch—it was already 4:18 p.m.
On the third attempt to get a card, the reporter went to the application point near the Chaoyangmen subway station, and this time things went more smoothly. After waiting a few minutes, the staff member placed the reporter’s second-generation ID card and the "Yikatong" card with a "C" logo on the sensor to link them. Once the linking was successful, the reporter paid a 200-yuan "integrity deposit," then signed a contract and an application form. At that point, the staff member informed the reporter that the process was complete. After three trips, the goal was finally achieved.
The reporter learned from the Municipal Commission of Transport that as of December last year, the coverage of the city’s public bicycle rental service system had expanded from Dongcheng and Chaoyang districts to Daxing District and Yizhuang area. The total number of public bicycles now reached 14,000, with over 15,000 cardholders and cumulative rentals and returns totaling 700,000 times. However, these numbers are just a drop in the bucket for Beijing, a megacity with a permanent population of 20.186 million.
Moreover, the reporter learned from the Municipal Commission of Transport that currently, the cross-district accessibility of public bicycle rental services is limited to Dongcheng and Chaoyang districts only, while other districts and counties still operate independently. There are only four service points that handle public bicycle card applications, and they only accept applications from Monday to Friday—precisely during the "9-to-5" working hours of most office workers. As a result, those who want to apply for a card have to take time off work.
Investigation 3
Is Free + Low-Price Pricing "Losing Money to Attract Customers"?
Investigation Location: Jianguomen Subway Station, Guanghuaxili Residential Area
Investigation Results:
Free or low-cost rental fees have benefited some "bike renters," but the meager income makes it hard for operating companies to stay afloat.
Mr. Peng, who lives in Guanghuaxili, rents a public bike every morning from the west gate of his residential compound, rides it to another rental point near the Jianguomen subway station, returns the bike there, and then takes the subway to work. "It takes just twenty minutes to bike from my home to the subway station, but taking the bus is unpredictable!" Because the distance isn’t far and there’s a linked rental point, Mr. Peng can bike to and from work every day for free—the first hour of rental being free has been a real perk for him.
There are many residents like Mr. Peng who enjoy the free first hour of bike rental. According to statistics from the Municipal Commission of Transport, over 90% of renters return their bikes within the first hour. This means most people borrow and return bikes quickly, using them for free.
But if everyone is using the bikes for free, aren’t the operators losing money? Li Xiangjie, an administrator at the Beijing Yanhongzhou Parking Management Office responsible for operations in Dongcheng District, told the reporter: "The free first hour allows many people to ride without spending a cent, but the more the bikes are used, the more wear and tear they suffer—today the lock breaks, tomorrow the display goes black, and all those repairs add up. But the rental fees collected just aren’t enough to cover it!"
According to the person in charge of Great Wall Jindi Positioning & Control (Beijing) Co., Ltd., which manages operations in Chaoyang District, the rental income for the first half-month of public bike operations was only a few hundred yuan, yet there were over 1,700 rental and return records. The rental frequency was not low, so why was the income so little? The person revealed that this was because most citizens were taking advantage of the public bike "first hour free" benefit. This "benefit" objectively resulted in most users riding for free. Consequently, the meager rental income is just a drop in the ocean compared to overall operational costs.
It is understood that in addition to the first free hour, the hourly rental fee for the city’s public bike service is also quite low: 1 yuan per hour after the first hour, capped at 10 yuan for 24 hours. A relevant official from the Municipal Commission of Transport said that this free + low-price pricing model is designed to improve the effective usage rate of public bikes and encourage short-term, immediate-return usage.
Compared to many private bicycle rental companies in the city, this free + low-price pricing is a much better deal. The reporter visited the website of a private bicycle rental service company and found that not only did they not offer a free first hour, but their hourly rate was 5 yuan, with a 10-yuan service fee for every four-hour period (half-day). Each day cost 20 yuan in service fees, and anything over four hours was charged as a full day, with no upper limit.
Even with such high prices, private enterprises are still struggling. As early as 2005, Beijing began exploring public bicycle rentals and supported some private enterprises entering the market. By the 2008 Olympics, the public bicycle rental industry was booming. But within a few years, these private enterprises disappeared one after another—why? A private company executive said that the previous operational model for public bicycle rentals was business-led, self-operated and self-financed, with only limited government support. But due to high operating costs, low investment returns, difficulty in maintenance, incompatible stations between companies, inconsistent pricing standards, and companies operating independently, public bikes were popular in concept but not in practice, leaving less and less room for private enterprises to survive.
So, what’s the difference between the city’s current free + low-price rental service and the previous private enterprise model? Will it fall into the same awkward situation of "losing money to attract customers"?
The reporter learned that the newly launched public bicycle rental service adopts a completely different operational model: government-led, with enterprise participation in operations—a combined government-enterprise model. To reverse the passive situation, Beijing is now trying a model where the government provides startup capital and subsidies for operators, while the operators are responsible for daily management and bear the expenses. However, once the initial government funding is in place, a large amount of ongoing maintenance and management funds are still needed—and relying solely on enterprises to "fend for themselves" or on limited rental fees is clearly insufficient. So where should this money come from?
Hangzhou provides an answer through its own successful practice. It is understood that Hangzhou, which only began public bicycle rentals in 2008, is now achieving modest profits. How? In reality, the income from Hangzhou’s public bicycle rentals does not mainly come from rental fees, but rather from commercial development such as advertising on the bikes and at rental stations, which supports the public-service operation of the bikes and covers daily operational costs.
What’s the difficulty for Beijing in following the "Hangzhou path"? The hardest step is breaking through existing legal and regulatory bottlenecks. According to the "Beijing Outdoor Advertising Management Measures," except for public buses, other vehicles (including bicycles) are prohibited from having advertisements on them. This means that Beijing currently lacks the legal framework to develop advertising resources on public bikes.
To make it easier for more citizens to rent public bikes for green travel, experts suggest that the government should first provide maximum support to enterprises in terms of planning rental points and land use. Second, in terms of funding, the government could guarantee loans or financing for enterprises, or designate investment companies to participate. Third, consideration could be given to appropriately amending relevant laws and regulations, and gradually opening up advertising rights to give enterprises more room to survive.
News Background
The Origins of "Public Bicycles"
The concept of "public bicycles" originated in Europe. The first-generation public bicycle system appeared in the Netherlands in 1965. In 1995, Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, launched the second-generation public bicycle system. By the late 1990s, the European public bicycle rental industry began using rapidly developing computer, wireless communication, and internet technologies to achieve digital management and operations—this became known as the third-generation public bicycle system.
Lessons from Abroad
The Netherlands
As early as 1890, the Netherlands built the world’s first bicycle-only lane. Currently, the Netherlands has a population of 16 million and 17 million bicycles, forming a bicycle road network totaling over 30,000 kilometers. Tourists and residents can use a public bicycle for free for up to 4 hours, with low hourly rates applied for any time beyond that.
Denmark
In the capital Copenhagen, there are over 400 kilometers of dedicated bike lanes. Anyone can use these public bicycles by inserting a 20-kroner coin into a slot on the bike chain. After use, simply lock the bike at any parking station to get the coin back. One-third of commuters choose to cycle.
United Kingdom
London has recently launched a new bike rental service. Registered users only need to send a text message to the rental service center to receive an unlock code. Using this code, they can pick up a bike from any rental point in the city and return it within 30 minutes free of charge.
United States
Bicycle rental services in the United States are divided into short-term and long-term options. The short-term rate is 5 US dollars per day, while the long-term plan costs 120 US dollars per year—equivalent to just 35 cents per day. The U.S. Senate has passed a bill offering tax incentives to employers to provide cycling employees with monthly subsidies ranging from 40 to 100 US dollars.
France
The French government launched the “Vélib’” self-service bike rental system in the summer of 2007. In just over a year, it had served tens of millions of users. Currently, about 15 cities in France have introduced self-service bike rental systems, with over 40,000 bicycles in operation.
Canada
Montreal, Canada, has invested 130 million US dollars in building urban bike lanes. The city has more than 300 bike rental stations. The bikes available for rent are made of aluminum alloy and equipped with anti-theft systems that include embedded GPS chips—if not returned on time, the bikes will automatically lock themselves.