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Eric Jiang

Hong Kong has proved a brutal market for companies offering online bike sharing.
The number of operators rose to a peak of seven in 2017 before falling to just two today: home-grown Locobike and mainland China’s Helloride.
They are going head to head in several districts as they seek to overcome challenges in a city that has proven fatal for past players.
Retired economist Thomas Yuen Wai-kee has used bikes from both companies several times a month for leisure rides over the past year.
The 62-year-old, a former assistant economics professor at Hong Kong Shue Yan University, has enjoyed their services, saying they offered different experiences.
“Locobike provides more support on local trips, such as a map and recommendations. Since it is local, it looks more friendly in the app,” he said. “Helloride provides more discounts and some free hours.”
Locobike teamed up with mainland China’s shared bike service provider DiDi Bike – under Didi Chuxing – late last year, while Helloride is backed by Ant Group, which is affiliated with Alibaba Group Holding, the owner of the South China Morning Post.

Helloride’s Instagram shows that its service is available in seven main areas: Tuen Mun, Yuen Long, Tung Chung, Sheung Shui, Tai Po, Sha Tin and Tseung Kwan O.
Locobike covers a greater area, operating in the same seven areas plus Ma On Shan, Tsuen Wan and Tai Wai.
According to Locobike’s website, the company operated more than 12,000 shared bikes in Hong Kong in 2024, compared with Helloride’s 3,000 as of May.
Locobike’s business also includes the sale of bicycles, equipment and bike-riding training courses. Helloride does not sell bicycles or accessories but runs similar courses.
Both services operate in the same way: users download the app, register with a mobile phone number or email, locate a nearby bike on the map and scan the QR code on the handlebars to unlock it. Ending a ride requires parking the bike at a designated zone marked on the app before locking it.
Both platforms charge about HK$20 (US$2.55) for a day pass and offer monthly or quarterly unlimited passes for regular users. Helloride includes the first 120 minutes of each ride free under some unlimited plans, while Locobike also sells rides in prepaid credit bundles.
Will Su, Helloride’s general manager for Hong Kong and South Asia, told the SCMP that the firm focused mainly on new towns and suburban areas with “strong travel demand” and “cycling-friendly environments”.
“During daily operations, we have received numerous suggestions from local residents regarding bike deployment, covering demand along cycling waterfront tracks and last-mile connectivity between dense residential estates and MTR stations,” he said. “We adjust vehicle allocation flexibly based on real public needs.”
But he added that high operating and maintenance costs in the city were a challenge, citing a recent example of an inspection that found more than 100 bike seats intentionally damaged.

He attributed the pressure to three main factors: labour-intensive bike rebalancing during peak hours, wear and vandalism of the products, and the logistical complexity of covering the seven areas.
The SCMP repeatedly contacted Locobike for comment over the past week, but the company did not respond.
According to Yuen, Hong Kong’s market for shared bikes was small because residents used bikes only for leisure, not for daily commutes, leaving operators with a narrow revenue base and limited room to absorb losses from vandalism or idle bikes.
Hong Kong’s first shared bike operator, Goobee.bike shut down in 2018 after operating for just over a year. Others such as Ofo and Mobike also folded or shrank their fleets after suffering losses.
The only way to expand the market was to provide more bike lanes and parking, Yuen said, admitting that would be a challenge in land-scarce Hong Kong.
Sai Kung district councillor Christine Fong Kwok-shan said she saw more than 20 cases each month – either from residents’ complaints or her team’s observations – of rogue parking, damage or theft of shared bikes.
She called on the government to set up dedicated parking zones for shared bikes to tackle illegal parking on pavements and streets.
There were more than 66,000 public bicycle parking zones managed by the government in Hong Kong as of 2025.
“For residents’ bikes, there are already around 5,000 public parking spaces in Tseung Kwan O, and those spots are frequently at capacity,” Fong said. “It would be good for shared bikes to have their own parking zones.”
The Transport Department said the city had about 10,000 to 12,000 shared bikes. It said it planned to add 15,000 general-use parking spaces over the next five years but warned of limitations.
“Widespread cycling for commuting in heavily built-up urban areas is not encouraged due to traffic conditions and limited road space,” a spokesman said. “The most sustainable solution lies in operators managing their fleets responsibly.”
He said the department currently received about 180 inquiries and reports of rogue parking every month, which the operators had handled.

Without dedicated infrastructure, the burden of managing where shared bikes can be parked has fallen largely on the two operators, and their approaches vary.
For Helloride, users are exempt from the first two parking violations within operating areas, but a HK$50 penalty applies for a third violation. A HK$100 fine is imposed if users ride outside designated operating areas.
In addition to penalties, Locobike also assesses users with a score system. If a user violates the rules, points are deducted and their score drops. Once a user’s score falls to zero, they will lose access to the bikes.
Wong Wai-tung, a Tai Po district councillor, said the existing code of practice fell short of being backed by legislation.
He said there were no specific penalties or enforceable standards under the current rules, while excessive legislation could undermine the industry’s competitiveness.
“It’s appropriate for the government to manage the issues more actively, but I hope it can leave some space for the industry to develop,” Wong said, noting the shared bike industry was another aspect of innovation and entrepreneurship in Hong Kong.


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Home-grown Locobike and mainland China’s Helloride must navigate challenging landscape where bicycle lanes and parking facilities are limited


Home-grown Locobike and mainland China’s Helloride must navigate challenging landscape where bicycle lanes and parking facilities are limited.


2 bike-sharing apps vie for Hong Kong riders amid industry’s roller-coaster development

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Home-grown Locobike and mainland China’s Helloride must navigate challenging landscape where bicycle lanes and parking facilities are limited

Home-grown Locobike and mainland China’s Helloride must navigate challenging landscape where bicycle lanes and parking facilities are limited