Wednesday

Bike Rental Program in Beijing

I know back in the day we had a post a about the bicycle transit system in France and to my surprise I noticed they had a similar system here in China. To start off, bikes are abundant in Beijing. I am a huge fan of bikes – they are green, they provide a form of exercise, they get you from point A to point B. The Chinese government runs a bike rental program in Beijing in an attempt to reduce the usage of cars and thus reduce pollution and traffic congestion.

The concept is simple, yet smart. The program allows you to put down a security deposit of 400 yuan (less than $60) and pay for an annual subscription of 100 yuan (less than $15) to rent bikes. It’s just like renting movies without the late fees! You can pick up a bike and drop it off at any of the established bike stations. The stations are very convenient and accessible – you can find them next to most subway stations and popular destinations in Beijing. The goal is to have about 200 stations by the time the summer Olympics begin. It gives you the ability to rent a bike and use it at your own, ride it where you want, store it where you want, and park it where you want. But it also allows for the convenience of riding a bike somewhere, dropping it off and picking up a bike somewhere else. I would like to see this concept spread to other major cities around the world.