THE operator of Mobike in Shenzhen made a report to local police after some Mobikes were maliciously defaced with paint, asking for an investigation.

The company suspected that the Mobikes were probably sabotaged by its market rivals, making them impossible to use, Chinese-language media reported.

The Mobike bicycles have gained popularity in Shenzhen since they were put on the streets a month ago, because the bikes can be parked anywhere and accessed with an app-controlled smart lock.

Yet some residents in Nanshan District on Saturday found that the QR codes on some of the Mobikes were dysfunctional, as they were defaced with paint or peeled off and wouldn’t unlock.

Five Mobike bicycles at the Houhai Station of the Shekou Metro Line were defaced with paint so the QR codes, an essential part of the service, couldn’t be scanned, the Shenzhen Special Zone Daily reported yesterday quoting sources from Mobike’s Shenzhen office.

Employees of the company failed to catch the suspect who had painted the QR codes.

Nanshan police encouraged the public to file a report with them when they see any such reprobate behaviors.

Bicycle rental services, aiming to solve the last mile of people’s commute, are heating up in the city as several operators are using apps to make reservations, rentals and payments more convenient for users.

On Thursday, Shenzhen Funbike Technology Co., a major rental bicycle service operator in Nanshan and Futian districts, announced that it had started Funbike services in Southern University of Science and Technology. It claimed to have put 30,000 bicycles in the market, covering universities, industrial parks and large residential communities. Also on Thursday, another operator, Bluegogo, started a rental service in Nanshan District.

Another operator, Ofo, which previously has exclusively targeted university campuses, also plans to expand into other areas. Ofo has entered 80 universities in 20 cities with a total fleet of 30,000 bicycles nationwide. (Han Ximin)

(Editor Lily A)