Guangzhou’s two departments regulate the charging fees for electric bicycles: electricity costs and service fees should be priced separately.
According to the official website of the Guangzhou Development and Reform Commission, the Guangzhou Development and Reform Commission and the Guangzhou Market Supervision Administration recently jointly issued a notice titled “Reminder Letter on Regulating Charging Fees for Electric Bicycles in Our City” (hereinafter referred to as the “Reminder Letter”). This letter advises operators of electric bicycle charging facilities and the Guangzhou Electric Bicycle Industry Association to strictly implement relevant electricity pricing policies and to reasonably establish standards for charging service fees, with separate pricing for electricity costs and service fees.
The Reminder Letter points out that the outdoor charging costs for electric bicycles mainly include electricity charges and service fees, which must be clearly indicated and priced separately. Operators of electric bicycle charging facilities are required to expedite renovations to achieve separate metering of charging electricity by January 1, 2025. After separate pricing is implemented, the charging costs for electric bicycles should remain stable and should not be increased opportunistically.
The Reminder Letter mandates that charging facility operators strictly adhere to relevant electricity pricing policies. For charging fees collected within residential communities, operators must charge according to the residential collective user electricity price; for charging fees collected outside residential communities, they should charge according to the local electricity price standards. Charging facility operators are prohibited from unilaterally raising electricity price standards or adding additional fees when collecting electricity charges.
Additionally, charging facility operators should reasonably establish standards for charging service fees. The charging service fee will be managed under market-regulated pricing. Operators should fully consider the public service and livelihood attributes of outdoor charging facilities, and establish reasonable charging service fee standards based on principles of cost recovery, reasonable profit, and good faith, while taking into account policy and regulatory requirements, operational costs, social tolerance, and user satisfaction.
The Reminder Letter emphasizes the requirement for clear pricing. Charging facility operators must prominently display the electricity price, charging service fee, fee standards, and service contact information at charging locations, on mobile applications, and on WeChat public accounts. They cannot substitute clear pricing with QR codes or online identifiers and must not charge any fees that are not explicitly stated. After each charging session, charging facility operators are required to inform users of the billing model, charging duration, and fee amount through WeChat public accounts or mini-programs.
The Guangzhou Development and Reform Commission and the Guangzhou Market Supervision Administration welcome citizens to supervise the charging fees for electric bicycles. If any price violations are discovered, citizens are encouraged to retain relevant evidence and promptly call 12345 to report complaints.
