Mobike

Beijing Mobike Technology Co., Ltd
Industry Transportation
Founded 27 January 2015 (2015-01-27)
Beijing, China
Founder
  • Hu Weiwei (CEO)
  • Wang Xiaofeng (Consultant)
  • Xia Yiping (Smart Traffic Lab Head)
Headquarters Haidian District, Beijing, China
Area served
Key people
  • Hu Weiwei (Founder & CEO)
  • Eric Yi Liu (President)
  • Wang Xing (Chairman)
Products Dock-less bicycle sharing services
Parent Meituan-Dianping
Website mobike.com
Mobike
Simplified Chinese 摩拜单车
Traditional Chinese 摩拜單車
Literal meaning Rub + Worship + Bike (derived from Mobike CEO Wang Xiaofeng's Beijing Worship Technology Co., Ltd)

Mobike (Chinese: 摩拜单车; pinyin: mó bài dān chē), founded by Beijing Mobike Technology Co., Ltd. (Chinese: 北京摩拜科技有限公司), is a fully station-less bicycle-sharing system headquartered in Beijing, China. It is, by the number of bicycles, the world's largest shared (for hire) bicycle operator, and in December 2016, made Shanghai the world's largest bike-share city.[1]

In June 2017, Mobike raised $600 million[2] in Series E funding led by Tencent, bringing the firm's fund raising in 2017 alone to nearly US$1 billion. In the same month, the company was valued at US$3 billion.[3]

In April 2018, Mobike was acquired by Chinese web company Meituan-Dianping for US$2.7 billion.[4][5] In August 2018, Mobike launched an electric version of their orange bicycle.[6]

Coverage

Currently Mobike operates in over 200 cities and 19 countries around the world, including China.[7][8]

Asia

Mobike bikes in Huanggang, Hubei, China

Chinese cities with Mobike include but are not limited to Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Lanzhou, Ningbo, Xiamen, Foshan, Zhuhai, Changsha, Hefei, Shantou, Haikou, Deyang, Nanning, Guiyang, Xi'an, Wenzhou, and Wuhan.[9]

Operations in Singapore, the company's first overseas market, started on 21 March 2017.[10][11]

Mobike Japan was launched on 22 June 2017, Fukuoka being its first recipient.[12]

Mobike officially launched in Malaysia on 6 September 2017, with the first bikes being rolled out in Setia Alam[13] and Cyberjaya just a month later.

In Australia, the service was launched in Sydney in November 2017 and the Gold Coast, Queensland in February 2018.[14][15][16]

In May 2018, Mobike launched its operations in Israel in several cities like Tel Aviv, Rehovot and Kiryat Bialik.

Europe

A Mobike bicycle at Alexanderplatz, Berlin

In Great Britain, in the summer of 2017, Mobike launched the service in its 100th city, Manchester, followed by London in September. In November 2017, Mobike removed all of its bicycles from Manchester. Although this led to rumours that the bikes were pulled out of the city due to vandalism, an official statement by the company said that the bikes would return to the city as part of a new phase of the program, with a new operation zone so as to concentrate the range that the bikes can be used in.[17] However, in September 2018 the company suspended operations in Manchester.[18]

In Italy, Mobike began operations initially in Florence in July 2017[19], followed by Milan in August[20], Turin and Bergamo in November[21][22], Pesaro and Mantova in March 2018[23][24], Reggio Emilia in May[25] and Bologna in June.[26]

On 9 November 2017 Mobike officially launched in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. The ceremony was attended by special guest Chantal Blaak (2017 world champion cycling women's road race).[27]

In Germany, Mobike launched its operations on 21 November 2017Germany by deploying 700 bicycles in Berlin, making it the 200th city worldwide with Mobike's bicycle sharing operations.[28][29]

In France, the service was launched in Paris on 24 January 2018.

Americas

On 20 September 2017, Mobike’s first bike-sharing service in the United States started from Washington, D.C., United States, which became an important step for Mobike to expand their business to North America.[30][31]

During early 2018, Mobike launched its operations in Santiago, Chile.[32]

Design features

As described by the company, Mobike is intended to solve the last mile issue in which commuters face the problem of being stuck a bit too far from their destination to walk, but too close to justify the cost or delay of finding a taxi. Similar to Call a Bike in Germany, every Mobike bicycle comes with an internet-controlled electronic wheel lock that automatically unlocks but requires manual locking after use.

Mobike bicycles are powered by a small generator installed on the rear wheel hub to power the lock, or by a PV panel in some bike models. The patented disc brake is said to withstand over 10,000 kilometres of riding without failure.

Mobike has partnered with Qualcomm[33] (using their IoT chip MDM9206) and Gemalto[34] for the use of NB-IoT technologies to provide connection for the bikes.

Mobike bicycles come in two versions, both of which requires a scan of a unique QR-code to unlock:

A Classic Mobike showing its identification number. Here the smaller "020" means a bike assigned to Guangzhou, Guangdong.

Classic Mobike

The Classic Mobike, or "Mobike", is the standard variant of Mobike bicycles. It has an all-aluminium, V-shaped chassis, puncture-proof tires, and a shaft transmission system. Instead of conventional wire spokes, it uses five sets of two thick, parallel, metal rods positioned at 72° from each other to improve durability and lower maintenance costs. The identification number of each bicycle is put on the rear part of the chassis.

Renters scan the QR-code, which is displayed at the base of the handle as well as on the smart lock.

The livery is black for the seat, handlebars and the lock, orange for the wheel and metallic silver for the body.

Some users have complained about the Classic Mobike's weight and the lack of a bicycle basket (defended by Mobike as to "prevent spam advertising"), and difficulty in keeping balance on their first attempts, which kickstarted the development of Mobike's second iteration, the Mobike Lite.

Mobike Lite

Mobike Lite is known informally as "generation 2". It it uses wire spokes and a conventional chain drive to deliver torque to the rear wheel. The identification number is on the right side on a plastic panel that protects the chain. The QR code has moved to the tip of the rear fender.

The Mobike Lite comes with a net-like metal basket and has a solar panel that powers the QR lock and GPS tracker. The wheels were coloured orange.

A Mobike Lite bicycle in Guangdong. Note the exposed transmission system.

Newer models of the "Mobike Classic" and "Mobike Lite" have adjustable seats.

Second generation

According to a company press release, small batches of second generation Mobikes, both Classic and Lite, are being deployed in areas of service. Reports indicate that the second generation bicycles use a more durable aluminium kickstand rather than the formerly used hard plastic ones. Also mentioned is the new hydraulic adjustable seat installed on Generation 2 bicycles through depression of a small metal tab near the base of the seat. Finally, the second generation Classic Mobikes now also have a basket.

The colour scheme of the second generation Mobike Lite is changed to orange for the inner rim, and reverts to black for the tyre.[35]

Access

Several ofo and Mobike bikes blocking a bus stop platform

Access to Mobike bicycles is achieved using the purpose-built Mobike application, which requires a minimum deposit of one unit of country-specific currency to ensure the user supplied payment details are correct. Each user is required to register using their mobile number. In China they must also register their national identification number as required by local government regulations. The software automatically disallows users under the age of 14 from using the app, through the identification number.

To use a bicycle, the unlocks the bike using the mobile app. The app records the distance and duration of the trip and the energy the user spent using the bike. At the end of the rental, the cost will be deducted from the users account.

Cost

As Mobike has no offline services, the Mobike app only accepts online transactions through AliPay, WeChat Pay, or credit card. The user needs to have a positive balance in their account when starting the rental, but are allow to exceed their amount during a trip.

The company previously required deposit in order to use the service in China, however the company ended the practice in July 2018. Users are free to withdraw the deposit from the service at any time as long as they do not have a negative account balance.[36]

Mobike Score

The Mobike app uses a "Mobike Score" system to keep track of user behavior. The score system consists of five levels: Outstanding (1000–701), Excellent (700–601), Good (600–501), Fair (500–301), Poor (300–0). In the future, users' Mobike Score will affect fares and use of the system. Every new user automatically starts with a “Good” score of 550 points.[37]

Scoring rules

Users will be awarded points for various actions such as reporting any problems with the system or parking in preferred areas with higher demand, and will lose points for actions that negatively impact the use of the system. Users with a score of 100 or below will see their account suspended. If a user believes that their score has been reduced by mistake, the issue can be reported to the "Negative Records" page, and the staff will evaluate the situation.

Issues

Many Mobikes stacked on top of each other in Beijing

Mobike has several problems with practicality. Many residents complain about the parking problems caused. Since Mobike's purpose is to make accessing their bikes more convenient, the bikes do not have fixed-station parking locations. This may result in users parking the Mobikes in areas that block roads and sidewalks.

As Mobike has continued to expand to global markets such as UK in London and Manchester, it has encountered elevated incidences of vandalism in some areas. [38]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 网易. "摩拜上海运营单车达十万辆——上海成全球最大智能共享单车城市_网易新闻". news.163.com. Retrieved 21 December 2016.
  2. ↑ "Mobike Fills Its Baskets With $600 Million in Latest Fundraising Push – Caixin Global". www.caixinglobal.com. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  3. ↑ Steinberg, Julie; Lin, Liza (20 June 2017). "Chinese Bike-Sharing Company Mobike Valued at Around $3 Billion". Wall Street Journal.
  4. ↑ Chong, Zoey (3 April 2018). "This bike sharing company just got bought for $2.7 billion". CNET. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  5. ↑ "Meituan Acquires Mobike in $2.7 Billion Deal – Caixin Global". www.caixinglobal.com. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  6. ↑ "Mobike launches electric bike for dockless sharing". Dezeen. 2018-08-13. Retrieved 2018-09-11.
  7. ↑ hermes (17 December 2017). "Mobike co-founder Joe Xia: The king of bike sharing". The Straits Times. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  8. ↑ "Mobike Launches Spain". mobike.com. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  9. ↑ "城市 – Mobike" [Available Cities] (in Chinese). Mobike. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
  10. ↑ "发展历程 – Mobike" [Timeline] (in Chinese). Mobike. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
  11. ↑ "Mobike launches in Sapporo". Shanghai Daily. Shanghai Daily. 23 August 2017. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
  12. ↑ "Mobike Japan in Fukuoka". mobike.com. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  13. ↑ "Mobike Rides Into the Heart of Malaysia". mobike.com. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  14. ↑ Cox, Charlotte (28 June 2017). "Everything you need to know about the new Mobike service coming to Manchester and Salford". Manchester Evening News.
  15. ↑ "New dockless bikeshare scheme rolls out on the Gold Coast today". 21 February 2018. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  16. ↑ "Mobike Australia Begins in Gold Coast". 6 November 2017. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  17. ↑ "Mobike have removed all 1000 bikes from Manchester". confidentials.com. 15 November 2017. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
  18. ↑ Lee, Emma (2018-09-07). "Briefing: Mobike suspends operation in Manchester due to thefts and vandalism · TechNode". TechNode. Retrieved 2018-09-07.
  19. ↑ "Il bike sharing a flusso libero sbarca a Firenze. Dal 2 agosto arrivano le bici targate Mobike".
  20. ↑ "Bike sharing, a Milano arrivano 12mila nuove biciclette: con app e gps, prendi e lasci dove vuoi".
  21. ↑ "Il bike sharing senza stazioni spopola a Torino: dopo Gobee Bike arrivano anche Mobike e Obike".
  22. ↑ "Debutta Mobike, il bike sharing a flusso libero: si inizia con 500 bici, anche in Città Alta".
  23. ↑ "Ecco il bike sharing a flusso libero, prendi la bici e la lasci dove vuoi. Tutto con un'app".
  24. ↑ "Per Mobike è subito boom: oltre 1.100 noleggi in città".
  25. ↑ "Reggio Emilia, rivoluzione bike sharing: arrivano in città mille biciclette cinesi".
  26. ↑ "Il nuovo bike sharing "Mobike": come funziona, i mezzi, le tariffe".
  27. ↑ "Mobike Launches in Rotterdam". mobike.com. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
  28. ↑ Jie, Meng (21 November 2017). "Chinese bike-sharing company Mobike launched in Berlin". Xinhua. Retrieved 22 November 2017.
  29. ↑ "Mobike Rolls Out Bike-Share System in 200th City With Opening in Berlin". k.caixinglobal.com. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  30. ↑ Pandaily (25 September 2017). "Mobike Just Landed Washington, D.C." Pandaily. Retrieved 4 November 2017.
  31. ↑ "Mobike Launches in Washington D.C." k.caixinglobal.com. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  32. ↑ "Mobike Launches Chile". mobike.com. Retrieved 11 September 2018.
  33. ↑ "Qualcomm, China Mobile Research Institute and Mobike Plan to Commence First of its Kind LTE IoT Multimode Field Trials in China | Qualcomm". Qualcomm. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
  34. ↑ https://www.gemalto.com/brochures-site/download-site/Documents/M2M_CS_Mobike.pdf
  35. ↑ "Mobike 'Next Generation' Smart Bike Design". mobike.com. Retrieved 2018-08-24.
  36. ↑ "UNVEILING MOBIKE'S NEW GROWTH INITIATIVES". mobike.com. Retrieved 2018-08-24.
  37. ↑ "The Mobike Score System is Upgrading". mobike.com. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  38. ↑ "Manchester's bike-share scheme isn't working – because people don't know how to share". theguardian.com. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.