Misuse sees free bike rental deposits charged
June 30, 2012, Saturday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
MINHANG District has begun requiring refundable deposits of 200 yuan (US$31) in its free bicycle rental program after losing nearly 1,000 bikes since the service started in late 2009.
Renters are supposed to return bicycles within an hour. All renters are given cards with 100 points to start off. If they return bikes within an hour, a point is added; if they use the bicycles for longer than an hour, a point is deducted. If they don't return the bicycles in a day, 100 points are deducted. Once all credit points are gone, the person is bounced from the program and has to reapply for a card.
"Some people feel that it's too troublesome to reactivate the card, so they just keep the bicycles," said Wan Huqing, transport department manager under the the Minhang Construction and Transport Commission. "Some of the renters use their own locks on the bicycles, treating them as if they were private property."
Users too lazy to return bicycles to rental stations sometimes just leave them in residential complexes, parks and even shopping malls.
"Most of the lost bicycles are still in Minhang," said Wan. "Because the bicycles are specially designed, it's impossible to use their parts on common bicycles. And because they are bright orange, it's hard for people to steal and sell them on."
The commission started collecting deposits after hearing of the practice at a similar free bike rental service in the city of Hangzhou in Zhejiang province.
In addition to the deposit, users will have to pay 10 yuan for a rental card to cut down on carelessness about losing the cards.
People who use the rental program say they understand why the district government has had to take these steps.
"It's not difficult to return the bike on time," said Pei Qinruo, a regular bicycle renter living in Xinzhuang. "It doesn't require people to return the bicycles to the spots they rent. They can return them to any designated spot in the district. Some people are just irresponsible."
At present Minhang maintains 574 bicycle rental sites, most of which are near metro stations. Officials said this year new sites will be opened.
Renters are supposed to return bicycles within an hour. All renters are given cards with 100 points to start off. If they return bikes within an hour, a point is added; if they use the bicycles for longer than an hour, a point is deducted. If they don't return the bicycles in a day, 100 points are deducted. Once all credit points are gone, the person is bounced from the program and has to reapply for a card.
"Some people feel that it's too troublesome to reactivate the card, so they just keep the bicycles," said Wan Huqing, transport department manager under the the Minhang Construction and Transport Commission. "Some of the renters use their own locks on the bicycles, treating them as if they were private property."
Users too lazy to return bicycles to rental stations sometimes just leave them in residential complexes, parks and even shopping malls.
"Most of the lost bicycles are still in Minhang," said Wan. "Because the bicycles are specially designed, it's impossible to use their parts on common bicycles. And because they are bright orange, it's hard for people to steal and sell them on."
The commission started collecting deposits after hearing of the practice at a similar free bike rental service in the city of Hangzhou in Zhejiang province.
In addition to the deposit, users will have to pay 10 yuan for a rental card to cut down on carelessness about losing the cards.
People who use the rental program say they understand why the district government has had to take these steps.
"It's not difficult to return the bike on time," said Pei Qinruo, a regular bicycle renter living in Xinzhuang. "It doesn't require people to return the bicycles to the spots they rent. They can return them to any designated spot in the district. Some people are just irresponsible."
At present Minhang maintains 574 bicycle rental sites, most of which are near metro stations. Officials said this year new sites will be opened.
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