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Do you have a source on the bike stealing in China? I was in Shanghai and there were practically more bikes on the sidewalks than people, I don't think people e

by Zarath 9y ago

Do you have a source on the bike stealing in China? I was in Shanghai and there were practically more bikes on the sidewalks than people, I don't think people even bother stealing bikes.

noetic_techy 9y ago
Ask and ye shall receive: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/02/world/asia/china-beijing-dockless-bike-share.html https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/02/world/asia/china-beijing-... "But their popularity has been accompanied by a wave of misbehavior. Because the start-ups do not use fixed docking stations, riders abandon bicycles haphazardly along streets and public squares, snarling traffic and cluttering sidewalks. Thieves have taken them by the tens of thousands, for personal use or selling them for parts. Angry and mischievous vandals hang them in trees, bury them in construction sites and throw them into lakes and rivers." http://www.businessinsider.com/china-bike-sharing-frenzy-collapsing-2017-11 http://www.businessinsider.com/china-bike-sharing-frenzy-col... "Bike-sharing companies – with their capital-intensive, cash-burning, ride-subsidizing business model – were among the hottest startups in China. ... But this is how quickly a frenzy can deflate... On Thursday, Chinese media reported that Mingbike, with operations in major cities, had laid off 99% of its staff, after consumers had complained that they’d been unable to get their deposits..."
NotQuantum 9y ago
I'm unsure about bike stealing, but I know it's cheaper for them to buy new bikes rather than fixing up old ones. They just throw them out in large piles in disrepair.[1] [1] https://www.cnbc.com/2017/07/18/bike-sharing-boom-in-china-pedals-to-new-heights.html https://www.cnbc.com/2017/07/18/bike-sharing-boom-in-china-p...
qiqing 9y ago
Last I heard (informally), the price of 2nd-hand bikes has fallen through the floor in China, and it is no longer economically viable for thieves to steal bikes due to risk and high opportunity cost, which led to a sharp reduction in bike theft.

by Zarath 9y ago

Do you have a source on the bike stealing in China? I was in Shanghai and there were practically more bikes on the sidewalks than people, I don't think people even bother stealing bikes.

noetic_techy 9y ago

Ask and ye shall receive: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/02/world/asia/china-beijing-dockless-bike-share.html https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/02/world/asia/china-beijing-... "But their popularity has been accompanied by a wave of misbehavior. Because the start-ups do not use fixed docking stations, riders abandon bicycles haphazardly along streets and public squares, snarling traffic and cluttering sidewalks. Thieves have taken them by the tens of thousands, for personal use or selling them for parts. Angry and mischievous vandals hang them in trees, bury them in construction sites and throw them into lakes and rivers." http://www.businessinsider.com/china-bike-sharing-frenzy-collapsing-2017-11 http://www.businessinsider.com/china-bike-sharing-frenzy-col... "Bike-sharing companies – with their capital-intensive, cash-burning, ride-subsidizing business model – were among the hottest startups in China. ... But this is how quickly a frenzy can deflate... On Thursday, Chinese media reported that Mingbike, with operations in major cities, had laid off 99% of its staff, after consumers had complained that they’d been unable to get their deposits..."

NotQuantum 9y ago

I'm unsure about bike stealing, but I know it's cheaper for them to buy new bikes rather than fixing up old ones. They just throw them out in large piles in disrepair.[1] [1] https://www.cnbc.com/2017/07/18/bike-sharing-boom-in-china-pedals-to-new-heights.html https://www.cnbc.com/2017/07/18/bike-sharing-boom-in-china-p...

qiqing 9y ago

Last I heard (informally), the price of 2nd-hand bikes has fallen through the floor in China, and it is no longer economically viable for thieves to steal bikes due to risk and high opportunity cost, which led to a sharp reduction in bike theft.