Wikipedia

Hello (Chinese company)

(Redirected from Hellobike)

Hello, (Chinese: 哈啰; lit. 'Hello'; formerly Hellobike and Hello Chuxing) is a Chinese mobility and technology company headquartered in Shanghai, China, and founded in 2016.[1] Ant Group is its largest shareholder, holding an estimated 36% stake, and a key strategic investor, and its services are also accessible through the Alipay ecosystem.[2][3][4] The company operates car-pooling, car-hailing, battery swapping, shared bike, e-bike, and e-scooter rental services. It has over 800 million registered users.[5]

Hello
Native name
哈啰
FormerlyHellobike
Hello Chuxing
Company type
Private
Industry
FoundedMay 2016; 10 years ago (2016-05)
Founder
  • Yang Lei
  • Li Kaizhu
Headquarters
Shanghai
,
China
Websitehello-inc.com
helloride-global.com

The company also operates outside mainland China under the HelloRide brand, offering bike-sharing services in Malaysia, Hong Kong, Singapore and Australia.[6][7][8][9] In recent years, it entered the robotaxi sector and strategically partnered with CATL, Ant Group, Horizon Robotics and Alibaba Group to develop and commercialize Level 4 autonomous driving technology.[10][11][12][13]

History

edit

Founding and bike-sharing expansion

edit

The company originally began as a bicycle-sharing operator under the Hellobike brand and was founded by Yang Lei and Li Kaizhu in 2016.[14][15] The company initially focused on launching dockless bike-sharing service in China's second- and third-tier cities, where the more established competitors like Mobike and Ofo had limited presence, allowing the company to quickly build market share. It later expanded operations into first-tier cities however it maintained its focus on smaller cities and non-metropolitan areas in China.[16][17]

Hellobike bicycles in Hangzhou, 2018

During this period, China's bike-sharing industry was highly competitive, with many companies lowering prices and sacrificing profitability in an attempt to rapidly gain market share. Subsequently, the sector underwent significant consolidation in the late 2010s, with a large number of early operators collapsing or leaving the market. Hellobike become one of the few major companies to survive the burst China's bike-sharing bubble.[18][19]

Funding and growth

edit

In a series of fundraising rounds dating back to 2016, Hellobike has raised over US$1.8 billion from investors. Ant Group, the company's largest single investor, holds an estimated 36 percent share in Hellobike.[20] In 2018, the company renamed itself as HelloChuxing. By 2020, it emerged as one of the China's largest bike-sharing operators, alongside Meituan Bike and Didi Qingju, with approximately 8 million bikes in China's smaller cities and towns.[21][16][22][19]

Diversification

edit

In addition to bike-sharing, the company has expanded into a wider range of services. In 2018, it partnered with Chinese battery maker CATL in entering the electric scooter rental sector. In 2019, it formed a US$145 million joint venture with CATL to develop an electric bicycle battery-swapping network, that would enable customers to replace and recharge e-bike batteries. By 2020, it had entered the taxi- and ride-hailing industry.[23][19][24]

International expansion

edit

In 2022, the company rebranded itself from HelloChuxing to Hello along with a new slogan - "Accompanying you every day".[25] It also launched its international arm under the brand name HelloRide, marking the company’s overseas expansion. HelloRide operates in regions including Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Australia, offering shared and rental bicycles.[8][26][6][9][7]

A HelloRide bicycle at Tung Chung Station in Hong Kong

Robotaxi venture

edit

In 2025, Hello announced it has entered the robotaxi sector and signed a US$422.3 million joint venture with Ant Group and CATL. The new venture, registered as Shanghai Zaofu Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd on June 23, 2025, is focused on the development and commercialization of Level 4 autonomous driving technology.[12][27][28] In the same year, Hello also entered into a strategic agreement with Horizon Robotics and Alibaba Group to support the development of the new venture. Hello is a relative latecomer to the robotaxi sector and faces strong competition in the Chinese market that includes Baidu, WeRide and Pony.ai.[13][11][10]

Products and Operations

edit

Mainland China

edit

Hello provides a range of mobility services which are broadly divided into two-wheeled and four-wheeled transport groups.[29][30] The company operates a digital platform that integrates its transportation services within a single mobile app ecosystem and is also accessed via the Alipay platform.[31][30][3]

Two-wheeled mobility

edit

Hello operates electric scooter services under its Hello Scooters brand. It also provides shared bikes and electric bike rentals. In addition, the company is involved in battery-swapping infrastructure through the Xiaoha Power Exchange joint venture with Ant Group and CATL, which enables users to exchange and access charged e-bike batteries.[32][33][34][30]

Four-wheeled mobility

edit

Hello provides ride-hailing, carpooling, and car rental services.[30][5][4][35]

International

edit

Hello operates bicycle-sharing services internationally under the HelloRide brand, with deployments across Asia and Oceania.

Bicycle rental station for HelloRide bikes in Singapore (January 2025)

Singapore

edit

In Singapore, following approval by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) in July 2022, HelloRide operates a licensed bicycle-sharing service that consists of up to 20,000 bicycles.[26][6]

Hong Kong

edit

In Hong Kong, HelloRide operates in a number of districts, including Tuen Mun, Yuen Long, Tung Chung, Sheung Shui, Tai Po, Sha Tin and Tseung Kwan O.[7]

Malaysia

edit

In Malaysia, HelloRide operates bicycle-sharing services in Kuala Lumpur.[9]

Australia

edit

In Australia, HelloRide currently operates bicycle-sharing services in Sydney, with plans to expand into Queensland, Victoria, and the Northern Territory.[8][36]

References

edit
  1. ↑ "Meet Hellobike, the scrappy latecomer to China's bike sharing market". The Star. Retrieved 2021-02-06.
  2. ↑ "Ant Group-backed Hello unveils robotaxi to challenge Baidu in China". South China Morning Post. 2025-09-11. Retrieved 2026-05-17.
  3. 1 2 "Hellobike Partners Alibaba's Sesame Credit to Offer Deposit-Free Bike Sharing". www.yicaiglobal.com. Retrieved 2026-05-17.
  4. 1 2 Liao, Rita (2019-02-21). "Alibaba hits the gas on mobility as its bike-sharing service adds carpooling". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2026-05-17.
  5. 1 2 "Hello, Ant Group, CATL Launch USD417.4 million Robotaxi Company". Yicai Global. Retrieved 2026-05-17.
  6. 1 2 3 "Chinese bicycle-sharing firm, HelloRide, enters Singapore". The Straits Times. 2022-07-01. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 2026-05-17.
  7. 1 2 3 "2 bike-sharing apps vie for Hong Kong riders amid industry's erratic development". South China Morning Post. 2026-05-09. Retrieved 2026-05-17.
  8. 1 2 3 Bonyhady, Nick (2023-01-05). "Australia's a bikesharing graveyard but new players are betting big on Sydney". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2026-05-17.
  9. 1 2 3 "Bike-sharing could solve first-mile, last-mile issues". Free Malaysia Today | FMT. 2026-01-27. Retrieved 2026-05-17.
  10. 1 2 Burnett, Stewart (2025-06-23). "CATL enters robotaxi segment through Hellobike JV". Automotive World. Retrieved 2025-12-16.
  11. 1 2 Gabriella (2025-09-12). "Horizon Robotics partners with Hello for Robotaxi development". Gasgoo Auto News. Retrieved 2026-05-17.
  12. 1 2 "Hello, Ant Group, CATL Launch USD417.4 million Robotaxi Company". www.yicaiglobal.com. Retrieved 2026-05-17.
  13. 1 2 "Alibaba Invests Strategically in Hello's Robotaxi Business | ChinaEVHome". chinaevhome.com. 2025-09-18. Retrieved 2026-05-17.
  14. ↑ Lee, Zinnia. "China's Bike-Sharing Giant Hello Inc. Targets $100 Million With Nasdaq IPO". Forbes. Archived from the original on 2021-04-27. Retrieved 2026-05-18.
  15. ↑ "Exclusive | The shy geek who survived brutal battle in China's bike sharing industry". South China Morning Post. 2018-11-05. Retrieved 2026-05-18.
  16. 1 2 Choudhury, Saheli Roy (2018-08-29). "Still 'a lot of space' for competition in China's bike-sharing frenzy, says start-up exec". CNBC. Retrieved 2021-02-06.
  17. ↑ "How Hellobike is beating Mobike and Ofo in China's smaller cities". South China Morning Post. 2018-07-26. Retrieved 2026-05-18.
  18. ↑ "Chinese Bike-Sharing Startup Hello Scraps Plans for U.S. IPO - Caixin Global". www.caixinglobal.com. Retrieved 2026-05-17.
  19. 1 2 3 "A Sustainable Means of Urban Transport: How HelloBike Survived". EqualOcean. Retrieved 2026-05-17.
  20. ↑ Hancock, Tom. "Hellobike eases past China's cycle-sharing pack". Financial Times.
  21. ↑ Udemans, Chris (2020-08-24). "INSIGHTS | The bike rental boom is dead. Long live bike rental · TechNode". TechNode. Retrieved 2026-05-17.
  22. ↑ "Bike-Sharing, Ride-Hailing Firms Team Up to Take on Didi - Caixin Global". www.caixinglobal.com. Retrieved 2026-05-17.
  23. ↑ "China's CATL, Ant Financial and Hellobike set up e-bike battery firm". Reuters. 2019-06-12. Retrieved 2020-11-12.
  24. ↑ "Alibaba-Backed Bike-Renter Hellobike Has Over 300 Million Users". www.yicaiglobal.com. Retrieved 2026-05-17.
  25. ↑ "百度安全验证". wappass.baidu.com. Retrieved 2026-05-17.
  26. 1 2 Sivakumar, Yoganeetha (2026-05-15). "Inside HelloRide's rapid expansion: Here's how it put 20K bikes on S'pore's streets in 3 yrs". Vulcan Post. Retrieved 2026-05-17.
  27. ↑ "Ant Group-backed Hello unveils robotaxi to challenge Baidu in China". South China Morning Post. 2025-09-11. Retrieved 2026-05-17.
  28. ↑ "CATL Greets ROBOTAXI with a "Hello"". eu.36kr.com. Retrieved 2026-05-17.
  29. ↑ Miao, Liu (2025-06-23). "CATL enters robotaxi sector with new joint venture". CarNewsChina.com. Retrieved 2026-05-17.
  30. 1 2 3 4 "Bike-Sharing and Mobility Firm Hello Inc. Revamps Name and Logo". Pandaily. Retrieved 2026-05-17.
  31. ↑ Liao, Rita (2019-02-21). "Alibaba hits the gas on mobility as its bike-sharing service adds carpooling". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2026-05-17.
  32. ↑ "Chinese Bike-Sharing Startup Hello Launches Smart Electric Bicycles - Caixin Global". www.caixinglobal.com. Retrieved 2026-05-17.
  33. ↑ "百度安全验证". wappass.baidu.com. Retrieved 2026-05-17.
  34. ↑ "Hellobike, CATL, Ant Financial JV Gets USD28.3 Million to Solve Empty E-Bike Battery Problem". www.yicaiglobal.com. Retrieved 2026-05-17.
  35. ↑ "百度安全验证". wappass.baidu.com. Retrieved 2026-05-17.
  36. ↑ Browning, Athena (2025-10-10). "HelloRide and China Southern Airlines partner for 'sky-to-street' travel in Australia". Zag Daily. Retrieved 2026-05-18.
edit
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hello_(Chinese_company)&oldid=1354918145"