The Shanghai-based company has submitted its bid to Paris City Hall’s tender for self-service electric bikes, scheduled to begin in summer 2025.
Chinese bike-sharing giant HelloBike is planning to expand into Europe, starting with Paris, its management said Monday. The Shanghai-based company submitted its bid to compete in Paris City Hall’s call for tenders for self-service electric bikes, set to begin in summer 2025, said Manon Bouvet, the group’s spokesperson for France, Belgium and Switzerland.
Lime and Dott, the two companies already present in Paris with bikes without attachments, confirmed on Monday that they had also applied for the Paris city hall’s call for tenders. The Vélib’ are attached to terminals.
A smaller Parisian bike with a longer lifespan
HelloBike plans to apply in other French cities as well as Seville and Barcelona, Spain. Its parent company HelloRide operates 7 million bicycles, as well as scooters and cars in 500 cities in China, for a turnover of 1.8 billion euros in 2023. The company has also launched in Singapore and Sydney, Australia. HelloRide’s main shareholders are the e-commerce group Alibaba and its former subsidiary Ant Group, owner of the payment service Alipay.
If selected in Paris, Hello plans to have its bikes (up to 6,000 according to the call for tenders) assembled in the new factory of its partner Cibox in Revin (Ardennes). The Parisian bike would be smaller than the current version, with a longer lifespan, particularly concerning its battery, explained Manon Bouvet. Some should also be equipped with child seats. Around sixty employees should be recruited to maintain them in the Paris region.
