This summer, I had the opportunity to check out one of the world's largest bike share programs, Hangzhou Public Bicycle. The program sees about 250,000 trips per day on its 2,700 station, 66,500 bicycle system. And while that sounds like a lot of metal and rubber for one tourist to handle, with some tips and information outlined below, you'll find that using and navigating the system is rather simple.
What you'll need to bring:
Passport
300 yuan (200 yuan for deposit and 100 Yuan for prepaid rental fee)
What you need to know:
Rates:
Hours of operation:
6am-9pm. Users can still return bikes after 9pm at the 24hr Longxiangqiao Bike Station.
Where you need to go to get started:
Hangzhou Public Transport Coupon-Selling Centre (which is improperly labeled as "Hangzhou Bus IC Card Service Center" in the map below)
If you are arriving from Shanghai to Hangzhou for a day trip, go here for directions on how to get there by high speed rail.
Hours of operation:
8am-5pm
20 Longxiang Rd.
How to Register for Bike Share:
1.) At the Hangzhou Public Transport Coupon-Selling Centre, request a Transportation IC card for the bike share. Don't worry, most attendants speak English.
2.) Present your passport for identification. You will receive a form to fill out your name and passport number.
3.) Pay 300 yuan (approx. $50 USD) upfront and keep the receipt.
4.) The attendant will issue you a temporary IC card (a.k.a. "Z card" for visitors) and will demonstrate how to check out and return a bicycle. (Tip: The IC card can also be used on buses, taxis, water buses and parking lots.)
5.) To receive your deposit and the remaining balance on the card after you are done using the bike share, present the receipt and the IC card to the attendant at this location.
This featured blog entry was written by winniewfong from the blog Wanderlust.
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