摩拜单车今年7月将登陆日本
A fast-growing Chinese bicycle-sharing startup looks to debut in Japan next month, with plans to operate in roughly 10 major cities by the end of the year in cooperation with local governments. Mobike launched its service just last year in Shanghai, and the company now commands 5 million bicycles across China. The secret of its meteoric success lies in the use of smartphones. Singapore and the U.K. have opened their doors to Mobike, recognizing the potential to reduce traffic congestion and automobile exhaust emissions as well as improve the health of residents. Japan will be the third overseas market to embrace the high-tech service. Tailor to local needs A selling point of Mobike's service in China is that users can drop off the bike anywhere, but the company's service in Japan likely will designate pickup and drop-off locations, such as municipal bike-parking facilities and parking space at convenience stores, restaurants and other partners. As a bicycle's GPS system allows tracking of its location, Mobike may devise a mechanism to warn users who leave a bike in an undesignated location. Mobike is in final negotiations with some local governments -- Tokyo and the Osaka area are among those targeted -- and a test mode for the service likely will charge 100 yen (90 cents) or less for 30 minutes of use. |