Beijing tackles random shared-bike parking with e-fences

To tackle the issue of random parking, Beijing plans to operate over 400 virtual fences as parking lots for shared bikes in Tongzhou and Chaoyang districts.

The e-fences with special marks both on the ground and in mobile app maps are located near residential communities, schools, subway stations, bus stops and commercial blocks, for the convenience of bike renters.

A user receives a text message if he or she fails to park a bike at a designated spot and those who park properly will be awarded two credit points, an official with the Tongzhou district government said.

The shared bicycles will be equipped with dual positioning systems, Beidou and GPS, so that they can be tracked if not properly parked.

The core equipment for e-fences in Chaoyang District is a Bluetooth sensor that has a detectable area of 50 meters. The sensor delivers data to shared bicycle companies who inform users where and how to park.

The first batch of 20 e-fences in Chaoyang District will undergo trials in August. There are over 100 million registered shared bicycles users nationwide.