Did Shanghai’s commissar just endorse bicycle-sharing apps with his ride around city?

Shanghai’s most senior official appeared to give his tacit approval to the city’s popular bike-sharing schemes recently when he very publicly chose two wheels to carry out an inspection tour along the city’s Huangpu riverfront.

For users and operators of the services, this apparent endorsement from Shanghai Communist Party boss Han Zheng has provided some relief from the uncertainty surrounding the attitude of the authorities to the bicycle-sharing concept. The future of the initiatives had looked in doubt amid a lack of clarity on official policy and some mixed signals from the government.

The event that saw Han take to the saddle was supposed to be about promoting the paths along the riverside that foster public health by encouraging walking, running and cycling. But the party secretary’s unexpected decision to pedal his way along the 25 kilometre route on a hired bicycle was what grabbed the public’s attention.

The event, supported by official press releases, was widely interpreted by delighted local residents as an implicit public approval of – and, indeed, a free advertisement for – Ofo and Mobike, the two dominant players in the bike-sharing sector.

“It was more than a free ad,” said 30-year-old Frank Feng, a frequent user of bike-sharing services. “[It shows that] the government is obviously taking a positive stance on the bike-sharing businesses.”