Shanghai installs electronic ID tags on delivery bikes to reduce traffic accidents

Shanghai traffic police have installed radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags on 53,000 express delivery bikes from 28 food and express delivery companies across the city since July, media reported. Analysts say the move will regulate the industry as well as reduce traffic accidents.

The installation of RFID, a form of electronic license, places supervision on electric bicycles while increasing the methods for police to issue off-site penalties. Nearly 10,000 penalties have been issued after the RFID tags were installed.

Shanghai police said they are now promoting a corporate responsibility system to allow delivery companies to participate in the management of the delivery riders.

"The platform [intelligent supervision system] has been promoted to 28 delivery enterprises in the city. They can be informed and check the illegal situation of their riders in real time," said Wang Tao, a police officer at the Shanghai Public Security Bureau.

Shanghai police have set up acquisition base stations in the city, and they can read the movements of the electric bicycles through the data transformed to base stations. The violation of traffic law by delivery riders will be judged by the track monitored by police, Wang introduced.

"The RFID tag tracks electric bicycles to enable police to assess whether there has been any infringement of traffic rules," Xu Yong, chief advisor of cecss.com, a logistics market research platform, told the Global Times on Sunday. "It aims to protect the safety of riders and pedestrians who are vulnerable to speeding electric bicycles."

"At present, we mainly collect vehicle ID numbers, the company name and the rider ID," Wang said.

While increasing the number of e-license plates and e-police equipment, the police suggested that delivery companies should be urged to stop sending orders to riders whose total number of violations exceeds a certain amount.

"The RFID tag should be extended to the whole country and Shanghai could be a pilot area to provide experience," Xu said.

In the first half of this year, five people were killed and 324 injured in 325 road accidents caused by express delivery and food delivery in Shanghai. Some delivery riders have little awareness of rules of the road, while most use fast electric bikes, which is the main cause of traffic accidents.

"Express delivery and takeout companies have added training about traffic laws to their induction, and new riders have to pass a test on the rules of the road before they are allowed to start riding on the road," Xu said.