The Bike-Sharing Model Has a Flat Tire. Fixes Sought in Japan
- China’s top players are partnering with Japan’s tech giants
- Together they’re seeking more polite forms of the business
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Bike sharing has a lot going for it. It’s mass transit that’s ultra-cheap, burns body fat instead of fossil fuels and is adored by venture capitalists. But the business model has hit a major snag: parking.
Stringent laws against sidewalk clutter –-and cultural sensibilities that are easily offended-- make the problem more acute in Japanese cities than in places like Munich or Melbourne, where bicycles are piling up outside subway stations or turning up under bridges, sometimes to the dismay of neighbors and city officials.