GoKunming Forums

New e-bike rules 2019

AlPage48 (1394 posts) • +2

What's the difference between an electric scooter and an electric bike.
The two categories have an overlap in weight and speed.

JanJal (1243 posts) • +1

@AlPage48: "difference between an electric scooter and an electric bike"

On top of my head I would say that an "electric bike" is a vehicle which can be pedalled but also has an electric motor to assist, while a scooter cannot be pedalled and only relies on the motor for propulsion.

GoK Moderator (5096 posts) • +1

Regulation that is sorely needed, but I see trouble in implementing this. There is no way that all of the people requiring licences will be able to get them by April 19th. Nor do I think that the decision makers will be prepared for the backlash from previously legal riders.
There will also be huge protests from industry. Not only the manufacturing industry, but all of the businesses that use ebike riders for delivery or running goods around; not just couriers and food delivery.
It is possible that these regulations will be dropped, in the same way that past attempts to regulate bikes have also been dropped.

I also see a gap for 3 wheelers. The gap might be in the reporting, but if the gap in the regulations, I can see a new range of hybrids and even bike to trike conversions.

GoK Moderator (5096 posts) • +1

NB, buy shares in Ping An insurance. Only joking. The whole thing, if it does fizzle out, would have cost the insurance companies a lot in preparing to sell new products that may not be taken up.

michael2015 (784 posts) • +1

As the Kunming city government found it impossible to regulate taxi drivers - who found it necessary to take breaks and change shifts during the peak morning, lunch, and after work rush hours - I find it impossible to believe Kunming can actually regulate e-bikes. There's always hope...but highly doubtful.

JanJal (1243 posts) • +1

I don't have data, but I suspect that with pressure from Didi the taxi industry will reform or go extinct.

Possible they will link e-bike regulations, or enforcement of those regulations, to social credit system.

Perhaps let people drive without license, but have heftier penalties if caught in accidents or misbehaving without license. Would promote "professional" drivers, whose little income depends on it, to get license and insurance sooner or later.

GoK Moderator (5096 posts) • +1

I agree about Didi. I live in a tourist area, in the past taxis always wanted to work off meter and price gouge. That is if you could even find a taxi. A few days ago we went out and in 10 minutes I saw 5 taxis with no passengers and their 'for hire' light on.

As for ebike licenses, 'sooner or later', I agree that this is needed. Preferably sooner. But I doubt that the test centres could cope with the demand. Less so with an April 2019 deadline.

michael2015 (784 posts) • 0

I refuse to use Kunming taxis, now that we have didi. I'll even wait the extra 10 minutes as necessary, instead of wasting time flagging down kunming taxis who still decline rides as inconvenient, during rush hour or the "certain taxis can't go to certain areas, during certain days of the week" - miffing passengers who wasted time flagging down a taxi while other empty taxis pass by.

debaser (647 posts) • 0

Registration and insurance are already requirements in other cities like Lijiang for example. Of course, not everyone follows the rules but those who choose to ride without registration or insurance in Lijiang are taking a big risk... even if they don't ever get into an accident, I have seen the routine bike stops and confiscations. I don't know of any other cities yet where ebike riders need a license yet but it would solve a few problems. In bigger cities like Shanghai the solution to gaps in the law has simply been to ban anything that’s not clearly an ebike or bicycle from the bike lanes. Most of these rules are not new and this might end up as just another attempt to enforce them and I doubt they will succeed in the long term.

Related forum threads

Login to post