Bicycle rental companies in Beijing are going broke, because nobody wants to hire their services. Major rental operators have invested about 100 million yuan（$14.7 million） in almost 20,000 bicycles but are now struggling to survive.
A spokesman from the Bird of Freedom Bicycle Rental said the company has already sold most of the 400 bicycles. “This is a difficult business, especially when it is cold. The cold weather almost killed the business,” he said.
Bigger rental companies are also facing challenges. Beijing Bicycle Rental Co Ltd, which owns 8,000 bicycles, has invested more than 30 million yuan over the past year. Wang Yong, chairman of the group, said his company had not made a profit since it began in 2005.
Almost all bicycle rental companies in Beijing require deposits of 300 to 400 yuan and then customers need to pay 10 yuan or more per hour. “I don’t want to pay 400 yuan to rent a bike. It’s too dear,” said Zhang Yu, a student in Communication University of China, who does not own a bike and often takes motorized rickshaws. “If renting for one day will cost 20 yuan and I rent a bike for five days, I can use the money to buy a new one."
Although facing economic ruin, some enterprises are still hoping that conditions will improve.
BikeMedia, one of the biggest bicycle rental companies in China, also invested tens of millions yuan in Beijing and has more than 10,000 bicycles. Li Weiwei, general manager of BikeMedia Beijing, said his company has a policy of no deposit and no payment. He said the company tried to put advertisements on the bicycles and in this way, they could make profits. But they had not made a profit yet because of its small scale. However, customers must pay 20 yuan per card and also show proof of good personal credit.
In early July, the Beijing municipal government announced plans to develop a 50,000-bicycle rental operation across the city. “The bigger network we have, the more citizens will rent bikes,” Li said. “This will make rental easier to citizens and we strongly need help from the government.”
小题1:In which season is the bicycle rental business the most difficult in Beijing? (no more than 2 words)
小题2:List the reasons why Zhang Yu is not willing to rent a bike. (no more than 7 words)
小题3:How can bike Media possibly make a profit according to Li Weiwei? (no more than 6 words)
小题4:What is the main idea of the passage ?(no more than 10 words)
