Hellobike Photo: VCG

Beijing Municipal Commission of Transport has opened an investigation into Shanghai HelloBike Technology Co for allegedly over-deploying shared bicycles in the capital in violation of related regulations, the China Media Group (CMG) reported on Tuesday.

On April 7, 2026, the commission received a tip-off alleging that HelloBike had deployed a large number of unregistered bicycles at multiple locations in downtown Beijing. 

A field inspection the following day confirmed the violations. The company was then summoned for an administrative interview and issued a notice ordering rectification, requiring it to complete corrective measures and retrieve the unregistered bicycles by April 10, CMG reported.

On Monday, enforcement officers conducted a follow-up inspection and found that a large number of unregistered bicycles were still deployed in some areas in the city's Dongcheng district. 

It was determined that HelloBike had failed to comply with the requirements of transport authorities and it refused to rectify violations, breaching relevant provisions of the city's regulations and the interim measures for the supervision and administration of internet rental bicycle operations in Beijing, according to CMG.

In response, the commission noted that it will impose administrative penalties on the company in accordance with relevant law, citing Article 20(1) and Article 31 of the Beijing Non-Motor Vehicle Management Regulations and relevant penalty guidelines. The case is being handled in accordance with legal procedures.

Going forward, Beijing's transport authorities will continue to strengthen oversight of the shared bicycle sector, urging all operators to fully assume their responsibilities and operate in compliance with the law and regulations. Measures including administrative interviews, penalties, and dynamic adjustments of fleet size will be applied against violations such as unauthorized deployments or delayed data reporting. 

Companies that repeatedly violate regulations or refuse to rectify issues will face stricter legal penalties, the commission said.

HelloBike, partially owned by Alibaba, is a platform for local mobility and lifestyle services. Founded in September 2016 and headquartered in Shanghai, the company began with shared bicycles. It now offers two- and four-wheeled mobility services—including e-bike rentals, the joint venture Xiaoha Battery Swap with Ant Group and CATL, and the car rental aggregation platform HelloCar—and it has entered the Robotaxi sector. The platform has over 800 million registered users to date, according to the company's website.


Global Times