Following precedents of Mobike and Bluegogo, Hellobike recently increased the rate for bike rentals in Beijing from RMB 2 to RMB 4 an hour, priced in 15 minutes intervals, which pushes the cost for every 15-minute riding to 1 yuan. The new pricing scheme has made the bike sharing option a more expensive traveling mode than taking bus in Beijing. Though the move was mostly seen as a blow to Hellobike’s business pattern, some insiders who are familiar with the matter interpret it as a campaign to transform random bikers into long-term subscription users.
