Han Ximin

    ximhan@126.com

    ANOTHER app-based bike brand called Getbike (getb), which has an orange frame, was released for a trial period in Chegongmiao in Futian District, Shenzhen, on Monday, bringing the total number of bike operators in the city to five.

    Unlike other bikes, such as Mobike, ofo, Bluegogo and Xiaomingdanche, Getbikes offer a distinctive phone charging feature for riders. According to Jin Xuping, market supervisor of Zhuhai CTC Electronic Co. Ltd., a strategic partner of Getbike, the bikes use solar power technologies to offer a power supply to users through a lithium cell.

    Riders can mount their mobile phones onto the device and start charging their phones when they initiate the service. Getbikes also use non-inflatable, shock-absorbing wheels and elastic, adjustable, hollow-out saddle seats that are good for ventilation.

    Jin said that the company plans to release about 3,000 to 5,000 bikes into the Shenzhen market within two weeks. Users need to register on the Getbike app and pay a 100-yuan (US$14.7) deposit. The bike’s app also features a best-route GPS service. The service costs 0.5 yuan per half-hour.

    Getbikes were first put into use in Zhuhai and Beijing in February this year.

    The product is the result of nearly two years of research from offices in Beijing and the United Kingdom.

    According to the company’s strategic plan, Getbike will cover a new city every month until it is global. The Getbike Sharing System Ltd., the company’s office in London, will put 3,000 bikes on trial in London.

    There are currently around 320,000 app-based bikes on Shenzhen’s streets, including 120,000 Mobikes and 90,000 ofo bikes.

    Despite the large number, the bikes still aren’t sufficient for a city of 20 million residents, but the transport authority has required bike operators to slow the pace of releasing bicycles as many problems, such as illegal and random parking, have yet to be effectively solved.