Bikes-on-demand have to be kept out of young kids' hands

THE PARENTS OF AN 11-YEAR-OLD BOY, who was killed in a collision with a coach while riding one of Ofo's short-term hire bikes in Shanghai four months ago, are suing the company and the coach driver. They are asking for 8.78 million yuan ($1.32 million) in compensation and have urged Ofo to replace all its bike locks with safer ones. Southern Metropolis Daily commented on Monday:

The tricky part is how to judge Ofo's responsibility for the accident. Some say the bike provider shoulders no blame for the accident, because the 11-year-old basically "stole" the bike by cracking the combination code to its lock, and then caused the accident by riding on the wrong side of the road. His parents, therefore, have no grounds for claiming compensation from Ofo, they argue.

Such an argument may be valid. But it is the easily crackable combination locks on many Ofo bikes that allowed the boy to use the bike.