"3·15" Gala Exposes Hellobike's Illegal Electric Vehicle Rentals, Regulatory Authorities Launch Investigation

Today (March 15), China Central Radio and Television’s Financial Channel “3.15” Gala exposed chaos in the electric bicycle rental industry. Several stores were caught evading regulation through illegal decoding to解除限速 (speed limit removal),挂非机动车牌照 (mounting non-motor vehicle license plates), and other methods. The industry’s leading brand, “Hello Electric Bike Rental,” was named.

Hello Electric Bike Rental official website

Tonight, Minhang District Market Supervision Bureau, in cooperation with the District Transportation Committee and the District Public Security Bureau, immediately inspected Shanghai Hello Puhui Technology Co., Ltd. on Gudei Road in Minhang District.

About 200 employees work at this company on Gudei Road, all in the customer service department, responsible for handling customer complaints received via hotline.

现场画面。陈玺撼摄 (On-site footage. Photo by Chen Xihan)

现场画面。陈玺撼摄 (On-site footage. Photo by Chen Xihan)

Liu Yinen, Director of Channel Operations at Shanghai Hello Puhui Technology Co., Ltd., stated that the platform currently offers electric bicycle rental services. Rental service providers are approved through the platform and provide rental services on it. He said that Hello is currently investigating the merchants involved in the related reports.

Market Supervision Bureau law enforcement officials said they will further investigate the behaviors exposed by CCTV’s “3.15” Gala, such as speed tampering and battery replacements. Once verified, they will take strict legal action according to their responsibilities.

现场画面。陈玺撼摄 (On-site footage. Photo by Chen Xihan)

现场画面。陈玺撼摄 (On-site footage. Photo by Chen Xihan)

现场画面。陈玺撼摄 (On-site footage. Photo by Chen Xihan)

Tonight, in response to chaos in the electric bike rental industry, Jing’an District Market Supervision Bureau activated its response plan and, in cooperation with Jing’an District Construction and Transportation Committee and Shanghai Public Security Bureau Jing’an Branch, immediately inspected Bojingsi Network Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.

The company’s main business is electric bike rental via a mobile app. During the inspection, a few bikes were found with frames and some parts, but no batteries were seen installed.

CCTV screenshot.

As of press time, regulators are verifying whether the company engaged in behaviors such as speed tampering and battery replacement as exposed by media. Some license plates from other provinces and cities were also found on-site, and police are investigating.

Law enforcement will continue investigating the company. If illegal activities are confirmed, they will be dealt with seriously according to law.

According to CCTV, “Hello Electric Bike Rental” has over 5,000 stores in more than 100 cities nationwide. Some stores rent vehicles that have been illegally decoded, with tested speeds reaching up to 75 km/h, far exceeding the national mandatory limit of 25 km/h.

Hello Electric Bike Rental official website.

Manager Mi, who claims to be responsible for provincial franchise recruitment for “Hello Electric Bike Rental,” revealed a systematic industry fraud method: taking advantage of the policy window before the new national standards, they apply for official license plates using unproduced vehicle certificates in advance, achieving “license first, vehicle later.” This allows newly produced over-speed vehicles to evade regulation by disguising as “old cars” under the “one vehicle, one pool, one code” system. The manager promised to “solve all licensing issues for franchisees.”

CCTV screenshot.

This operation allows vehicles that should be classified as motor vehicles to wear non-motor vehicle labels, enabling them to be driven without a driver’s license, posing serious safety risks.

According to China’s mandatory standard “Electric Bicycle Safety Technical Specification,” the maximum design speed of an electric bicycle should not exceed 25 km/h, and it must pass 3C certification. Public security traffic departments do not register or license vehicles without valid certification.

National Standardization Administration materials.

As of press time, “Hello Electric Bike Rental” issued an apology statement, saying they have launched a special investigation immediately.

The platform stated it has not directly operated any offline stores. All vehicles at platform stores are purchased and operated by participating merchants, and the platform has never authorized any store to directly use the Hello brand for related rental services offline. They reserve the right to pursue legal responsibility for the actions of relevant stores.

According to the merchant agreement of the Hello Electric Bike Rental platform, merchants must ensure that the vehicles provided on the platform comply with the national safety technical standards for electric bicycles. “Hello Electric Bike Rental” states that through reminders to merchants, store inspections, and other methods, they require merchants to ensure that rented vehicles meet current laws, regulations, and standards, avoid illegal modifications, and regularly conduct self-inspections and rectifications of their vehicles.