Mobike, why do you occupy other people's parking spaces?

Mobike, one of the biggest highlights of which is its "dockless borrowing and returning", has encountered a new embarrassing incident. Some people found many orange Mobikes parked at some Zhixiang bicycle stations in Haidian District, Beijing. Such parking spaces were originally used by another shared bicycle company, Yidaibu. As a result, the real "owners" were squeezed out and only a pitiful amount of space was left.

These Mobike bicycles were parked in the parking spaces of Zhixiang Bicycles. It is not ruled out that some of the Mobike users parked there when they saw parking spaces available on the roadside, and even thought that Zhixiang Bicycles and Mobike were the same company. But it is obvious that it was more likely done by Mobike staff, otherwise, it would be difficult for them to "take collective action" like that without any prior agreement.

Parking the bikes neatly at fixed parking spots is undoubtedly contradictory to the original intention of "borrowing and returning without a dock." However, many Mobikes are parked at the Zhixiang Bicycle Station, which obviously has some advantages. First, it is easier for users to find the bikes and to perform maintenance. Second, a row of orange bikes can create a good visual effect, which is conducive to the image promotion of Mobike.

However, such a phenomenon or practice is obviously an embarrassment for Mobike. Since you are focusing on the highlight of "borrowing and returning without a pile", why do you still park at a fixed location, even at the cost of occupying other people's parking spaces? This actually shows that an aspect that is regarded as an advantage may also be a disadvantage or shortcoming. In fact, after Mobike was launched, the media reported on some of the situations it encountered many times. For example, some people parked the bikes randomly or locked them up, making it difficult for the "next buyer" to find them, and some bikes were even thrown into the river.

It should be noted that fixed parking spaces are usually the practice of government-run public bicycles. Building fixed parking spaces and parking piles will undoubtedly increase the cost of such shared bicycles, and it is difficult to meet the more flexible parking needs of some users. Yidaibu's Zhixiang Bicycle is not a government project, and it does not build parking piles, nor does it require parking at Zhixiang Bicycle stations. It can only designate and build some fixed stations because the project has cooperation with the government. "Pile-free borrowing and returning" + "parking station" may be a more reasonable model than Mobike.

From the perspective of convenience, some Mobikes are parked at Zhixiang Bicycle Stations, and Zhixiang Bicycle may be tolerant. After all, the introduction of shared bicycles is to better facilitate citizens' travel and make urban life better. The government's public bicycles, combined with the society's shared bicycles, will allow citizens in need to get more sufficient supply and more convenient services.

But from the perspective of smart hardware entrepreneurship, Mobike's occupation of other people's parking spaces is a paradox. After Mobike came out, there were many compliments in society, and some people even called its creativity and model "great". But now it seems that it is too early to make such a judgment. In this era of rapid technological and creative development, and the various limitations of real society, it is not easy to easily produce a "great" thing. Now, all kinds of smart hardware are actually far from being so smart and perfect.

From a business perspective, whether shared bicycles can make money depends on the cost. Most government-run public bicycles are loss-making because of the high cost. Mobike’s “pile-free borrowing and returning” feature saves the cost of building parking piles, which is a major breakthrough. However, it is difficult for you to take advantage of all the cheapness. Mobike, which saves the cost of building parking piles, may need to pay other invisible costs. Similarly, Yidaibu’s intelligent transformation of idle bicycles in the community and the seemingly low-cost “circular economy” may also require higher costs in other aspects. For example, it cooperated with the government to obtain some fixed parking spaces at a low cost, but didn’t it expect that they would be occupied by others? Of course, neither Mobike nor Yidaibu necessarily want to make a profit from vehicle usage fees.

Some people who are not optimistic about Mobike say that "Mobike is dead". The author believes that judging from its ability to occupy the Zhixiang bicycle stations, its operators are still very aggressive and will not stop in the short term. However, whether Mobike should be welcomed to occupy the parking spaces of Yidaibu has posed a small problem to its admirers and observers.

(The author is a senior Internet operator and industry observer, WeChat 13520508091)

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.