Shanghai Has Banned Unlicensed Electric Motorbikes

By Steven Hu

Starting March 1, all electric motorbikes without proper registration will be banned from the streets of Shanghai. This ban also includes electric motorbikes with temporary licenses.

According to People's Daily, this policy was originally implemented in March 2014 as a way to curb and manage the overwhelming number of electric motorbikes, with many belonging to couriers and food delivery services, in the city. The purpose of the regulation was to strictly enforce a registration system and track these "non-motor vehicles." 

Under this policy, the city of Shanghai issued three-year temporary licenses to owners of electric motorbikes. In addition, owners who didn't have proper ownership documentations for motorbikes purchased before November 8, 2013 were also given the three-year temporary license as well.

All of this means that come March 1 these motorbikes will be considered illegal on the streets of Shanghai. Riders caught riding an unlicensed bike will be fined RMB50. The fine will increase to RMB250 when the new traffic regulation officially comes into effect on March 25. 

According to estimates, there were some five million electric motorbikes without registeration when the policy was first annouced in 2014. By the end that year, only three million of these vehicles have temporary licenses. 

[Image via heinkelscooter]

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