How to Rent a Bike in China (2025 Guide)

In China, the bicycle sharing systems are a little different. There are both docking and dockless systems, although dockless shared bikes are now the most common.

Most dockless bikes are provided by 3 companies: HelloBike, DiDi, Meituan. The big advantages of these bikes is that you can literally find them everywhere: neighbourhood streets, metro stations, shopping malls.

I’ve created this quick 2025 guide to help you rent a dockless bike easily.

📱: Alipay. Alternative apps are DiDi or Meituan (but they may not work for foreign tourists).

Step-by-Step

Hellobike (哈啰出行) – Blue Bikes

1. Open Alipay → Search for “Hellobike 哈啰” mini-program.

2. Click the “QR Scan” icon and scan one of the blue bikes. You should hear the bike unlock after a few seconds. If the bike fails to unlock or the QR scan fails to scan, it might be faulty. 🤳🏻

3. After unlocking the bike, check if the bike is faulty. You may want to return it if you find the pedals are loose or the chain is faulty. You won’t be charged if you return it quickly (normally within 1 minute).

4. Proceed with your ride. 🚲

5. Once you have arrived at your destination, look for a suitable parking location on the map. These are usually the blue border zones labelled “P”. If you park outside of these zones, you may not be allowed to end the transaction and could be fined.

6. Park your bike properly with the kickstand in place. Lock the bike either by pressing the lock button on the app or by pushing the lever down above the rear wheel. You should hear a “click” or “chime” sound. 🔒

7. Pay for your ride directly through Alipay. 💴

Bike Quality:

These bikes are fairly basic and do not have a proper gearing system. Most people use them for short distance commuting. If you wish to rent something more robust, please search for a specialist bike rental shop. Of course, these will be more expensive, but worth it if you want to ride long-distance or going into the countryside.

No helmets are provided. If you have kids, I do not recommend you use these bikes.

Key Tips:

✅ Verification: Apps might ask for passport ID.

✅ Deposit: Some apps may ask for a small deposit which is refundable. 

✅ Typical cost: ¥1.5–3 per 30 mins. You can buy a 7 day pass if you are planning to cycle regularly.

✅ If the lock is faulty and you can’t complete the transaction, you will need to report it through the “report” function so that it doesn’t continue indefinitely.