Han Ximin

ximhan@126.com

DONGXIA Datong (Beijing) Management and Consulting Co. Ltd., the operator of ofo bikes, has been found partially liable for the death of a rider who fell from a footbridge in Shenzhen last December, according to the police authority.

On Dec. 4, the shared-bike rider surnamed Shu ran into the fence as he was riding an ofo bike to the other end of the footbridge. Shu lost his balance and was vaulted over the railing down to the ground near Dongxiao Housing Estate in Luohu District. Shu died at the scene after the fall, earlier media reports said.

Investigations and tests after the accident showed that the Shenzhen branch of the app-based bike operator had failed to implement work safety rules, maintenance and regular checks. The company also didn’t have bike maintenance records or a sufficient number of maintenance employees. According to the requirements on the management of shared bikes in the city, the company should have at least 1,400 maintenance employees based on the number of ofo bicycles in Shenzhen, but it has only 800, the report said.

Based on the evidence collected, the police said Shu should bear the majority of the responsibility because he didn’t walk the bike across the bridge. However, the ofo operator bears partial responsibility for the faulty brakes that failed to meet the technical standard for bikes.

In 2017 and 2018, a total of 19 people were killed and 43 were injured in 58 shared bike-related accidents. In 2018, seven were killed and 11 were injured in 17 bike-related accidents. Among the accidents, 11 were caused by violations by the bike riders, including seven violations of illegally using motorist lanes and four going against red lights.