Bike-sharing helps ease traffic jams in China

A woman learns how to rent Mobike in Enshi, central China's Hubei province on July 11, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua]

Increasingly popular bike-sharing services in China have helped ease traffic congestion in big cities, according to a recent report.

The report, published by Gaode Maps, Chinese Academy of Transportation Sciences and Tsinghua-Daimler Center for Sustainable Transportation, said over 80 percent of China's 100 biggest cities saw improved local traffic conditions in the second quarter of 2017.

This is the first time the "congestion index" has shown signs of going down since Gaode Maps launched the index across the country in 2014.

People's means of transportation changed a lot and traffic congestion eased as bike-sharing services expanded in many cities, the report said.

While bike-sharing is not rare in other parts of the world, the Chinese version has given a whole new meaning to the concept, with customers able to pick up a bike anywhere in the city, thanks to GPS-enabled apps, and leave it almost anywhere at the end of their journey.

The concept is all the rage across the nation among students and young professionals for being convenient, green and cheap.

According to Chinese bike-sharing company ofo Inc, among the top 20 cities hosting most of ofo's bikes, 19 of them have seen improved traffic conditions.

In Beijing, congestion in over half of the main metro stations during rush hour has decreased by 4.1 percent compared to last year, according to Gaode Maps.