An Uber spin-off has been launched in China by an ex-Uber employee. The new service called Mobike offers a similar ride-hailing feature like Uber, but instead of cars, it is an on-demand bicycle rental service.

Mobike was founded by Davis Wang, who is a former executive of UberChina. Mobike offers a simple interface that tracks user location and displays the availability of nearby bicycles.

Like Us on Facebook

Mobike users can use the app to book a bike 15 minutes before they use it. The app also has a built-in navigation service that will help users navigate through a specific neighborhood, a feature that would be very helpful to tourists.

Interested users can download the app on Mobike's official website.

Once users have picked up a bike, all they have to do is scan a QR code to unlock the bike which is provided by Mobike. The journey ends when the user relocks the bike using the same process.

Public rental of bicycles is not a new thing in China where bicycles are very common. The Chinese government has, in the past, tested similar projects in different cities to ease traffic congestion. However, most of these bike rental services require riders to lock their bikes in specific locations or bike stations, a feature that sometimes hampers their usage and availability.

Unlike traditional bike rental services, Mobike allows users to lock the bike to any standard bike rack. The bike has a GPS sensor that tracks its location as well as usage. Once the bike is checked out by the user, it will be immediately available for other users to use.

According to Technode, the Mobike app also tracks user metrics like distance traveled and calories burned. First-time users of the service are required to pay a refundable deposit of $44.7, and the service has a flat rate of 15 cents per 30 minutes of usage regardless of location.

Tagsmobike, china, Uber, china uber, uber mobike, mobike app, mobike china