1 00:00:08,048 --> 00:00:11,418 Historically, China is very well known for bicycling 2 00:00:11,418 --> 00:00:14,533 and I think there was a period of time, probably a decade or two ago 3 00:00:14,533 --> 00:00:16,618 where the focus went to car culture 4 00:00:16,618 --> 00:00:20,310 and now leaders are realizing its absolutely imposssible 5 00:00:20,310 --> 00:00:23,118 to build enough roads for everyone to have a car 6 00:00:23,118 --> 00:00:25,233 and so you need to look at alternative methods 7 00:00:25,233 --> 00:00:28,181 and those alternative methods are like bus rapid transit, metro, 8 00:00:28,181 --> 00:00:30,434 but none of them solve the last mile issue, 9 00:00:30,461 --> 00:00:32,611 and that's where bike sharing comes in 10 00:00:37,271 --> 00:00:41,311 The public bicycle system was incorporated as part of the public transportation system in Hangzhou. 11 00:00:41,311 --> 00:00:43,412 Hangzhou is located in southeast China. 12 00:00:43,412 --> 00:00:47,147 It is the the capital of Zhijiang Province. 13 00:00:47,147 --> 00:00:54,822 It is also the economic, political, and cultural center. 14 00:00:54,822 --> 00:00:58,584 It has a population of 6.77 million 15 00:00:58,584 --> 00:01:02,369 Hangzhou Public Bicycle System trial operation 16 00:01:02,369 --> 00:01:03,964 started on May 1, 2008. 17 00:01:03,964 --> 00:01:07,268 It has 61 service points and 2,800 bicycles. 18 00:01:07,268 --> 00:01:12,052 Now, we have 2,050 service points and 51,500 bicycles. 19 00:01:12,052 --> 00:01:22,036 Average daily usages are about 240,000 trips with peaks of 320,000. 20 00:01:22,036 --> 00:01:24,405 The distance between 2 service points in the main districts 21 00:01:24,405 --> 00:01:30,604 is 200-300 meters and the distance between two service points in the suburbs is about 500-800 meters. 22 00:01:30,604 --> 00:01:33,112 The bicycle is free during the first hour. We charge RMB1 for the 2nd hour 23 00:01:33,112 --> 00:01:35,968 and RMB2 for the 3rd hour. 24 00:01:35,968 --> 00:01:42,214 After that it's RMB3/hour. 25 00:01:42,214 --> 00:01:47,507 Its very integrated with other forms of public transport, like the bus parking and the water taxis` 26 00:01:47,507 --> 00:01:51,015 As a policy, if you have just used your card to pay the bus fee 27 00:01:51,015 --> 00:01:58,306 you can use the bicycle for free for the first 90 minutes. 28 00:01:58,306 --> 00:02:05,527 "When I go to work in the morning, I first choose the bus, then I choose the bike." 29 00:02:07,083 --> 00:02:10,101 We are familiar with the traffic congestion in Hangzhou. 30 00:02:10,101 --> 00:02:16,440 Bikes are speedy and very convenient. 31 00:02:16,440 --> 00:02:18,321 There are many bike stations conveniently located 32 00:02:18,321 --> 00:02:23,917 in residential complexes along major streets 33 00:02:24,745 --> 00:02:28,817 I don't think there is anywhere in Hangzhou you could stand for more than a minute or two 34 00:02:28,817 --> 00:02:31,840 where you wouldn't have a Hangzhou public bike go past you. 35 00:02:31,886 --> 00:02:35,122 We often use both the public transit and 36 00:02:35,122 --> 00:02:38,128 the public bikes on our daily commute. 37 00:02:38,128 --> 00:02:47,267 It's very convenient that we can bike from the transit stop to the doorway of our workplace. 38 00:02:47,267 --> 00:02:49,569 According to an authoritative survey in Hangzhou 39 00:02:49,569 --> 00:02:53,073 the public bicycle system had the highest satisfaction 40 00:02:53,073 --> 00:02:57,447 rate among all the projects in city development. 41 00:02:57,447 --> 00:03:00,213 When I need to take my child to tutoring, 42 00:03:00,213 --> 00:03:03,116 it's easier to use a bike because it is difficult to 43 00:03:03,116 --> 00:03:05,052 find parking for cars. 44 00:03:05,185 --> 00:03:10,450 "The public bicycle is more convenient for me, if I take my own bicycle it's not worth coming 45 00:03:10,450 --> 00:03:16,908 because from my home to West Lake is very far, about more than 10 kilometers." 46 00:03:17,531 --> 00:03:20,000 Now the bike return stations are everywhere. 47 00:03:20,000 --> 00:03:22,826 There are two stations in the complex where I live. 48 00:03:22,826 --> 00:03:25,473 There are many service points in Hangzhou. 49 00:03:25,473 --> 00:03:28,678 People do not need to steal our bicycles 50 00:03:28,678 --> 00:03:36,015 because they are basically free to use. 51 00:03:36,015 --> 00:03:38,985 The people cherish the system and they 52 00:03:38,985 --> 00:03:40,868 would not do anything to destroy it. 53 00:03:40,868 --> 00:03:43,153 For an electric bike, I have to worry about where to park it, 54 00:03:43,153 --> 00:03:45,892 and whether it's going to be stolen. 55 00:03:45,892 --> 00:03:47,950 But I can put a lock on the public bike anywhere 56 00:03:47,950 --> 00:03:49,513 and no one will steal it. 57 00:03:49,513 --> 00:03:51,798 And, I don't need to return it to the same place. 58 00:03:51,798 --> 00:03:55,172 Hangzhou Public Bicycle Company is an affiliate of 59 00:03:55,172 --> 00:03:58,446 the Public Transportation Group. 60 00:03:58,446 --> 00:04:10,526 The company is responsible for the construction, operation, and development 61 00:04:10,526 --> 00:04:12,378 I don't live here. 62 00:04:12,378 --> 00:04:15,989 I travel here mostly for business and sometimes I swing 63 00:04:15,989 --> 00:04:18,972 by the West Lake and hang around a little. 64 00:04:18,972 --> 00:04:21,480 They say it's convenient to rent a bike here, so here I am. 65 00:04:21,480 --> 00:04:24,664 It's easy to ride a bike for sightseeing around West Lake. 66 00:04:24,664 --> 00:04:30,164 I have been using the public bikes along with the public transit system. 67 00:04:30,164 --> 00:04:32,440 Biking certainly is cheaper than taking the taxi, 68 00:04:32,440 --> 00:04:36,009 and faster than walking. 69 00:04:36,009 --> 00:04:43,568 It's convenient, and the rental is essentially free. 70 00:04:43,818 --> 00:04:48,288 The scale of bike sharing in Hangzhou and in China in general 71 00:04:48,288 --> 00:04:52,025 is just completely off the map of what we see in Europe and the Americas. 72 00:04:52,025 --> 00:04:55,010 In my opinion, public bicycle systems will become an important 73 00:04:55,010 --> 00:05:14,987 part of the public transportation systems in cities 74 00:05:15,001 --> 00:05:19,170 Hangzhou Bicycle Company expects to grow to 175,000 bicycles by 2020.