Southeast Asia Information Port News (www.dnyxxg.com) – Reporters recently learned from the Beijing Municipal Commission of Transport and the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau Traffic Management Bureau that the newly revised "Beijing Municipal Regulations on the Management of Non-Motorized Vehicles" (hereinafter referred to as the "Regulations") will be implemented on May 1, 2026.
This is the first comprehensive revision since the Regulations were promulgated in 2018. The revised Regulations have expanded from the original 7 chapters and 35 articles to 8 chapters and 55 articles, marking a new stage of more refined and rule-of-law-based management of non-motorized vehicles in Beijing.
Increasing the number of departments involved in co-governance and enhancing cross-departmental collaborative efficiency
The Regulations expand the functional departments involved to 13 departments, including the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau Traffic Management Bureau, Market Supervision Bureau, Transportation Bureau, Fire and Rescue Bureau, Urban Management Bureau, Commerce Bureau, and Postal Administration Bureau. It clarifies the responsibilities of the municipal, district, and street-level governments and departments, strengthens the self-regulatory responsibilities of industry organizations and the main responsibilities of units, promotes the formation of a comprehensive governance pattern of government supervision, industry self-regulation, corporate responsibility, and social co-governance, and enhances the efficiency of cross-departmental collaborative governance.
Improving Registration Regulations and Refining Registration Procedures
The regulations require improvements to the registration regulations for non-motorized vehicles, clarifying that electric bicycles, motorized wheelchairs for the disabled, and other vehicles must be registered and licensed before they can be driven on the road. The regulations also refine the procedures for changes, transfers, and cancellations of registration. Key provisions include:
Registered non-motorized vehicles whose owner information or other registration details change, or whose ownership is transferred, must apply for a change or transfer registration within 30 days.
Registered non-motorized vehicles that are lost, destroyed, damaged, returned, or no longer used must apply for cancellation of registration.
Applicants for changes, transfers, or cancellations of registration must cooperate in handling violations and traffic accidents.
In accordance with the new national standards and referencing the manufacturer's recommended service life, a ten-year validity period is added for electric bicycle driving licenses and license plates, which can be extended upon expiration.
Meanwhile, the public security traffic management department is studying and formulating supporting registration measures, which will include increasing registration points, simplifying procedures, promoting sales with license plates, and online processing to improve the convenience of registration services.
Clearly Defines Permitted Vehicle Types; Prohibits Balance Scooters
In response to the emergence of irregularly shaped vehicles such as handlebarless, reclining, oversized two-wheeled cargo vehicles, and four-wheeled vehicles on Beijing roads in recent years, the regulations further clarify:
Permitted non-motorized vehicle types include legally registered electric bicycles, motorized wheelchairs for the disabled, bicycles conforming to national standards, and human-powered tricycles;
Skateboards, balance scooters, and similar devices, equipment, and tools are prohibited from being used on roads.
Wearing Helmets Elevated to a Legal Obligation
The regulations elevate "wearing helmets" from a recommendation to a legal obligation, explicitly stipulating:
Drivers and passengers of electric bicycles must wear helmets that meet national standards and have undergone mandatory product certification, and legal liabilities such as warnings or fines are established.
Relaxing the Age Limit for Passengers on the Back of Electric Bicycles
Taking into account the need to improve the safety performance of electric bicycles and facilitate the travel of minors, the newly revised Regulations further clarify:
The upper age limit for minors allowed to ride on the back of electric bicycles has been raised from 12 to 16 years old, better meeting the daily travel needs of Beijing residents, such as picking up and dropping off students.
Standardizing Non-Motorized Vehicle Parking Management
The Regulations clarify:
Non-motorized vehicle parking facilities should adhere to the principle of "primarily supporting infrastructure construction, supplemented by independent construction, and temporarily set up as a supplement." Stations, hospitals, shopping malls, schools, parks, and other public buildings, public places, and residential areas must be equipped with non-motorized vehicle parking facilities, ensuring that these facilities are designed, constructed, inspected, and put into use simultaneously with the main project.
For existing facilities that cannot meet parking demand, they should be promptly renovated, expanded, or temporary parking areas should be set up.
For parking facilities that are not in use or are used for other purposes without authorization, the urban management law enforcement department will order rectification and impose corresponding fines.
The Regulations further solidify management responsibilities:
Owners, managers, or users of non-motorized vehicle parking lots shall fulfill their primary responsibility for maintaining parking order and assisting in the cleanup of abandoned bicycles;
Paid parking lots shall publicly display prices and standardize services and management;
State organs, enterprises, and public institutions shall maintain non-motorized vehicle parking order within their designated urban environmental sanitation responsibility areas and shall legally dissuade, stop, and report illegal parking.
The Regulations clarify:
No-parking zones mainly include no-parking areas on sidewalks, fire lanes, tactile paving for the visually impaired, and non-motorized vehicle lanes, and establish corresponding legal responsibilities.
Regulating the development of the internet-based bicycle rental industry
The Regulations clarify that Beijing will implement total volume control over internet-based bicycle rentals, including internet-based electric bicycle rentals. Previously, pilot programs had been conducted in Beijing's Economic and Technological Development Area, Tongzhou District, Changping District, and Miyun District, with approximately 15,000 shared electric bicycles deployed and operating smoothly overall. Furthermore, the new regulations further strengthen the responsibilities of operating companies, requiring them to standardize their operations in areas such as vehicle deployment, maintenance and scheduling, battery management, and user deposit collection, and detailing the legal liabilities for related violations.
The new regulations prioritize safety, implementing product safety, traffic safety, and fire safety across the entire chain of non-motorized vehicle production, sales, registration, use, parking, and charging.
Currently, the Beijing Municipal Commission of Transport, the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau Traffic Management Bureau, and other departments are working according to their respective responsibilities to expedite the improvement of supporting measures such as the planning and construction of parking facilities and the management of the internet-based bicycle rental industry, refine vehicle registration regulations, strengthen the investigation and punishment of road violations, and ensure the smooth implementation of the new regulations.
