闵行将升级部分地区公共自行车系统 - 2015年07月24日

Minhang is upgrading its fleet of rental bicycles and expanding the public eco-program to two new areas — Huacao and Xinhong — by the end of September.

New bicycles will be light green instead of orange, and they will be easier to ride, according to district traffic authorities.

Shanghai Forever Co, supplier of the bicycles, said tire material has been changed to polymer rubber from solid rubber, making uphill riding easier. Locks on the new bicycles have been moved to the front from the side to avoid locks getting lost when the bike is in motion.

The Minhang District Urban Construction and Transport Committee said the original fleet of orange bicycles, in use for six years, was showing signs of wear and tear, posing hazards for cyclists and causing higher repair bills.

All the old orange bicycles will be replaced by the end of September, the agency said.

When completed, the refitted fleet will have 20,000 bicycles in operation, of which 1,000 will be earmarked for Huacao and Xinhong.

“We have done a new survey on use of the rental bicycles in the district so that we can place the bicycles where they will be most used,” said an official with the committee, who asked to remain anonymous.

The use of prepaid IC cards for renting the bicycles will not be affected by the changes, officials said.

The committee said it is thinking of building rain sheds for the bicycles to prolong their service life.

About 44,000 district residents are currently registered in the rental program.

The district began public bicycle rentals in 2009 to encourage greener transport and help reduce vehicle congestion on the streets. The program provided 19,000 bikes at about 600 stations spread around the district, including transit hubs, residential blocks and supermarkets.

After four years in operation, the program reported that 1,200 bicycles had gone missing and the cost of replacing them and repairing damaged bikes was mounting.

In 2013, the committee, in conjunction with the Bank of China, began issuing plastic cards containing computer chips, allowing bicycle users to pay rental fees electronically. An upfront deposit for the cards is also required to cover the cost of bikes that are lost or misused.

Officials said there are fewer “dead accounts” since the IC cards were initiated.