Meituan Bike Inches Up Prices as Didi's Alternative Stays Steady
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Having kicked Ofo to the curb, Meituan Bike (formerly Mobike) is upping the fee per ride within the boundaries of Beijing.
Previously, 15 minutes on a Meituan Bike would cost the rider just RMB 1, plus RMB 0.5 for every additional 15 minutes. Now, riders will pay RMB 1.5 for every half an hour on the bike.
This may seem like a modest increase, but it's not clear that the market will be forgiving of such a tactic and whether it will be advantageous to the company in the long run. Many users in Beijing have already made the move to Didi's Qingju Bikes, which for now are keeping their prices steady at the previous going rate of RMB 1 for the first 15 minutes and RMB 0.5 for every 15 after that. That cap may well make the difference for some users who are faced with a choice between a Meituan and Qingju when searching the sidewalks for a ride.
A Meituan bike stands beside a pair of Qingju bikes. Which would you choose?
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Mobike hit a few stumbling blocks after its international ambitions largely failed, and the acquisition by Meituan apparently couldn't prevent the price hike, despite the fact that as a company, Meituan is of similar size to Didi, which wholly ownes Qingju and has a major stake in Bluegogo, both of which can be scanned using the Didi app. Neither company is exactly profitable as of yet.
Both Qingju and Meituan offer unlimited monthly passes for their bikes. Meituan actually wins the price battle in this category at just RMB 18 per month, compared to Didi's RMB 20 per month pass.
However, Beijing Daily (via xinhuanet.com) mused that unless a rider is particularly speedy, the change could mean that, when paying per ride, some commuters may now cost as much on a Meituan Bike as by subway, if not more for longer trips. Their reporting also noted that users who have already placed large chunks of cash into their Meituan Bike account cannot use that money to purchase a monthly pass, nor can the money be refunded.
For now, shared bikes remain a common sight in Beijing, but the mounting fares and ongoing instability that come at the heels of several infamous deposit controversies is enough to likely tempt some cyclists to return to biking the old fashioned way.
READ: Bees? Eunuchs? Watermelons? 10 Weird and Quirky Beijing Museums You Have to Visit
Images: Pengpai, Iyiou
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