Beijing will increase the number of bicycles for public use by 10,000 units this year, bringing the total number offered in the capital to 50,000, the municipal transport authority said on Tuesday.
The increase means those at major commercial and residential areas will be able to use the bicycles within 3 kilometers of their location, the authority said.
More than 20 million people have used the public bicycles since they were made available in 2011. More than 280,000 cards for renting the bicycles have been registered and commuters use them especially on workdays, said Rong Jun, spokesman for the Beijing Municipal Commission of Transport.
Every bicycle has been used 4.76 times on average on a workday, twice of that during weekends. Use of the bicycles during rush hours accounted for 44 percent of the total.
Coordinated trips using the subway and public bicycles have also shortened travel time by 10 to 20 minutes on average, Rong said.
Cyclists used the bicycles for 20 minutes on average and they would ride them for about 2.6 kilometers, according to the commission.
