Han Ximin

    ximhan@126.com

    APP-BASED bike operators have started a new round of promotions to grab market and attract users nearly five months after such bikes appeared in the Shenzhen market.

    At present, there are about 320,000 app-based bicycles in Shenzhen, serving more than 2 million people a day.

    Mobike, which has about 130,000 bicycles in Shenzhen, offers big returns when riders charge the app for use. A rider can get 210 yuan (US$30) if they charge 100 yuan through the app, 80 yuan if they charge 50 yuan or 20 yuan if they charge 20 yuan.

    The operator of ofo is offering free rides during morning rush hour between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m. this week. Earlier it had offered free rides on weekends and during the Spring Festival holiday. The company now has 80,000 bicycles in Shenzhen. It announced a week ago that it had raised US$450 million in its latest round of fundraising.

    Bluegogo, the third-biggest operator in the Shenzhen market, is also providing free rides this week.

    On Feb. 24, Bluegogo announced it had acquired 400 million yuan in A-round fundraising.

    Bluegogo is the first bike operator to start the promotion, and its CEO, Li Gang, said that the promotions, either big returns for riders or free rides, were backed by sufficient funds and a natural result of market competition.

    Statistics show that Mobike has received more than US$300 million yuan in funds this year after it completed its D-round fundraising.

    Despite the popularity of app-based bikes in the city, the service has received a cold shoulder in Yantian District, the smallest coastal district in the city, which is separated by Wutong Mountain from other districts.

    The prevalence of bicycle rental services and the narrow geographic layout facing the sea are probably major factors. Yantian District started a bicycle rental service five years ago and so far it has a total of 6,000 bicycles at 177 rental stations.