Riders of unlicensed e-bikes in Beijing face US$150 fine, unless they have an appointment to get one
- Six months after Chinese capital passes by-law on safety standards, 1 million unapproved machines remain unregistered
- Licences give owners of ‘substandard’ machines three years to replace them
The owners of about 1 million unlicensed electric bikes in Beijing that do not meet national safety standards have been reminded that as of Wednesday they could be fined 1,000 yuan (US$150) for riding their machines in public, unless that is they can show proof they plan to get a licence soon, local media reported.
Authorities in the Chinese capital passed a by-law last autumn that seeks to rid the city of e-bikes that fail to meet the standards and threatens hefty fines for those who fail to register substandard machines.
According to official figures, there were about 4 million e-bikes in Beijing when the new rule was introduced, of which 910,000 already met the higher specifications and had been licensed, The Beijing News reported, citing the local transport authority.
The owners of the remaining 3 million or so were given until April 30 to apply for a temporary licence, and more than 2 million had since been registered, the report said.
The temporary licences give owners of substandard machines three years – until October 31, 2021 – to upgrade them, after which time they will be banned completely.
Liu Shu, the deputy director of Beijing’s transport bureau, said that while people who failed to produce a licence when requested could face a 1,000 yuan fine, they could also avoid punishment if they showed they had made an appointment to get one.
City halts e-bike-sharing schemes amid safety fears
E-bikes are a popular form of transport across mainland China, but are also notoriously dangerous. According to figures from the National Bureau of Statistics, the speedy but silent machines were involved in 9 per cent of all traffic accidents in 2017.
Reports of the new law enforcement drew a mixed reaction on social media, with some people saying it would help improve road safety and others claiming the fine was too high.
“1,000 yuan is enough to buy a bike. So harsh,” one person wrote on Weibo, China’s Twitter-like platform.
