I used a Mobike when visiting Guangzhou last year.<p>It is amazing how fast they've overtaken the city. They seemed to be everywhere and ridden by huge numbers of people.<p>I'm a pretty frequent Boris Bike user in London (500 miles a year on the rental bikes) and thought the dockless GPS system was a great improvement on London's docking stations.<p>We cycled to a brewery and left the bikes outside the front door which was much more convenient than having to look for a cycle hire rack. There's absolutely no need to plan your route around fixed infrastructure which is very liberating.
Ofo has claimed that it is the biggest transportation platform in the world, with more than 20 million rides in one day (yes more than Uber, and even Didi).
Wonderful run down on the bike sharing situation in China. In regards to the notion that 1 RMB per half hour is cheap, I would say it is fair. One RMB has buying power equal to about one USD in most situations.
Having bikes chained everywhere is a common sight in China and other developing countries -- even in developed countries where biking is a popular mode of transportation like the Netherlands.<p>This is less common in the US. I wonder if Americans will tolerate having bikes everywhere, like the Chinese or the Dutch do.
There are a few I had never heard of here. My recent experience is mostly in Kunming and Shenzhen, but also Beijing. IMHO all three places have Mobike and Ofo dominating the options, with Ofo winning and Bluegogo as an honorable mention.