Apr 4 2016, 8:01 am | Posted by Jasmin Sasin

Shenzhen Crackdown on Unlicensed E-bikes Paralyzed Courier Services

A recent crackdown on the use of unlicensed electric bikes and tricycles in Shenzhen paralyzed the city’s courier services and left delivery workers struggling to cope up with the undelivered packages. The campaign was launched by the traffic police last March 21 which resulted to the seizing of more than 17,000 electric bikes by March 31 and 874 people were detained with charges of operating the electric bikes illegally.

Electric bicycles that are registered with the traffic police are allowed to operate on the roads. The campaign hit the express delivery sector so bad since most of the couriers are using electric freight tricycles in delivering packages. A manager of a outlet operated by Shanghai Yunda Express said that the ban meant that workers are now capable of processing 50 percent of orders since none of the electric bikes in their office were not registered with the traffic police and using electric bikes rather than freight tricycles is less efficient. Traffic police said that they will continue on the crackdown, but will be offering a 15 day buffer period and anyone using electric tricycles against the regulations faces administrative detention without any exceptions stating April 16.

Courier services argue that its impossible for them to use trucks when delivering since they have to move from community to community and make regular stops. To respond to the complaints, traffic police said that the move was designed to make the roads safer and reduce the shortfall by licensing an additional 5,000 electric bikes for the courier services. Complaints are received by courier services from customers but they can’t do anything since they themselves don’t have the solution. The campaign resulted to the detention of 50 couriers and the seizing of 800 electric tricycles.

The lack of electric bikes has forced couriers to work longer hours in delivering all the packages, and some has resorted in using pedal powered bikes. Another concern was the penalties imposed on delayed deliveries with fines ranging from 50 to 100 yuan that is imposed everyday when the goods are not delivered. The increased in workload have also forced some couriers to abandon the delivery sector and reducing the number of packages and order that they are wiling to accept.