Legal protection for riders and providers

IN WHAT IS BELIEVED TO BE the country's first court case against a company offering a shared-bicycle service, a 31-year-old Beijing citizen is suing Ofo, one of the country's leading bike-sharing companies, as he claims that he was injured due to a faulty bike he rented two months ago, Guangzhou Daily commented on Tuesday:

The plaintiff claims that Ofo is responsible for insufficient maintenance, as he alleges the brakes on the bike he hired were faulty. He is claiming 20,000 yuan ($2,900) as compensation to cover his medical treatment, mental distress and transportation costs.

He is not the first rider to solicit compensation from bike-sharing operators in the country on the grounds that the bikes they used were not well maintained.