Hong Kong officials give green light to bike-sharing firms

Hong Kong may have put the brakes on car-hailing services, but the government is backing the fast-growing bicycle-sharing business in the city, with two new operators planning to open shop soon.

Secretary for Transport and Housing Professor Anthony Cheung Bing-leung told lawmakers on Wednesday that his bureau supported the expansion of bicycle-rental services, and vowed to provide more public parking spots for them.

However, concerns have been raised over illegal parking after the city’s first bike-sharing mobile application, Gobee.bike, launched in April. Cheung’s bureau has received 30 complaints over the issue, including free public parking spaces being used for commercial purpose and bicycles occupying public spaces for too long.

“If necessary, we do not preclude considering further regulating bicycle rental services,” Cheung said. But he stressed the regulatory regime would be pragmatic and fair, and would not violate “the principle of fair competition”.