Dockless bikes have become ubiquitous in many Chinese cities, and their presence is rapidly reshaping the way such cities function, according to Wired. While bike sharing systems across the US require riders to leave bikes in designated zones, dockless bikes have GPS trackers and digital locks, and can be dropped off or picked up absolutely anywhere. These rides, which typically cost less than 15 cents, solve the problem of short-distance navigation in a city’s center, one of the great nightmares of city planning. The growth of dockless bikes is striking, as Shanghai’s abundance of dockless bikes grew from 450,000 to 1.5 million in a six-month period in 2017.
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