A NEW bike lock has been applied on Meituan shared bikes in Nanshan District as a pilot program, according to Southern Metropolis Daily.

The new lock system, powered by both GPS and BeiDou Navigation Satellite System, is said to be able to manage bike parking more effectively.

Users need to click the button in the Meituan app to return bikes after use. The new system will then automatically detect whether the bike has been parked in an area allowed for parking.

If a bike is parked correctly, the system will enable the customer to lock the bike so as to conclude the service. Otherwise, the system will alert users to park bikes in designated areas.

Users breaking the rule will be fined 5 yuan (US$0.74). Users can check areas where parking is allowed via the platform.

The policy that requires users to park shared bikes in designated areas has been piloted in Nanshan, Luohu, Futian, Longhua and Bao’an districts.

According to staff with Meituan, the new system can prevent too many bikes being parked in the same place. In addition, it will help locate bikes when prohibited behaviors are discovered so as to reduce damages to the bikes.

Meituan Bike will also further enhance customers’ riding and parking experiences by making full use of technologies, including the Internet of Things, big data and artificial intelligence, combined with a rich experience accumulated in Shenzhen over the past four years, according to the report.

(Wang Jingli)