In early 2016, two different companies, Mobike in Shanghai and Swapfiets in the Netherlands introduced a new type of bike-sharing service that quickly gained popularity. In just two to three years,...Show moreIn early 2016, two different companies, Mobike in Shanghai and Swapfiets in the Netherlands introduced a new type of bike-sharing service that quickly gained popularity. In just two to three years, distinctive and easily recognizable bicycles earned their place on many city streets in China and the Netherlands. Even though these two companies introduced services that were in essence nothing new, they both managed to tweak two different concepts in a way that resulted in staggering adoption rates. No academic studies on Swapfiets have been published. Furthermore, the developments of shared-bicycle systems in China are taking place at such a rapid pace that academic studies written in the last few years and even months quickly become outdated. This study aims to address this lack of literature on Swapfiets and offers more up to date evaluation of the developments on the Chinese bike-sharing market. This study also provides insights in recent developments in the bike-sharing industry and the status quo of bike-sharing in Shanghai as of late 2018. By comparing the development of these two services this study explores the question how their development, sudden growth and popularity can be explained and evaluates to what extent Shanghai could be a viable market for Swapfiets. This is important because bike-sharing is widely promoted as a way of making personal transport more sustainable.Show less
