Shared bikes: the whole thing in ten minutes

A shared bike is the fastest way across two kilometres in almost any Chinese city, and it is the part of daily life that foreigners get working last, usually because they go looking for an app to download. You do not need one.

The three colours

Riding one

1. 1

   Open the mini-program and tap scan

   The QR code is on the handlebar stem, and often a second one on the lock.

2. 2

   Wait for the clunk

   The lock releases by itself. If it does not within about ten seconds, the bike is faulty — tap the report button and take another. You are not charged.

3. 3

   Ride on the bike lane

   Most main roads have one, separated by a kerb. Pavements are for pedestrians and riding on them is fined in the big cities.

4. 4

   End inside a marked bay

   Push the lock arm down until it clicks. The app shows the fare and stops the clock.

What it costs

• Roughly one and a half yuan for the first fifteen minutes, then about the same per fifteen after that. A normal cross-town ride is two to four yuan.
• A monthly pass is around fifteen to thirty yuan and pays for itself in a week if you ride daily. Look for 骑行卡 in the mini-program.
• Electric assist bikes 助力车 cost roughly double and are worth it on a hot day or a hill.

Parking, which is the only thing that really matters

Chinese cities do not let you leave a shared bike wherever you like. There are painted bays — a white or yellow rectangle, usually with a small sign and a P — and the app will not end the ride outside one, or will end it with a dispatch fee attached.

• Look for the painted rectangle before you stop, not after. The map in the mini-program shows the bays as small squares.
• A ride ended outside a bay costs an extra dispatch fee, commonly between two and twenty yuan depending on the city and how far outside you were.
• Metro exits, hospital gates and school gates often have a no-parking zone that is enforced strictly. The app warns you as you approach.
• Repeatedly parking badly gets the account restricted, which is a genuine nuisance to undo as a foreigner.

Rules that are actually enforced

• One person per bike. Carrying someone on the rack is fined and, on an electric bike, is the single most common cause of accidents.
• Helmets are required for electric bikes in many cities and are checked at junctions. They are not required for pedal bikes.
• Do not take a shared bike into a residential compound and leave it there. It will not end the ride, and somebody will move it.
• Red lights apply to bikes. Traffic wardens at big junctions stop people.