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OWNERS of electric bicycles not included on the government’s approved vehicle list will from Saturday be able to apply for temporary license plates at any of the 158 service centers set up by Shanghai traffic police.

Under the new regulations on the management of non-motor vehicles, all riders of such bikes will from September be required to have a license plate.

However, only vehicles included on the approved list produced by the Shanghai Economy and Informatization Commission will be granted permanent plates. Owners of bikes not on the list can apply for temporary ones, but these will expire in February 2017.

Both types of plate are available free of charge.

The service centers, which are located at police stations, parking lots and other spots across the city, will open from Saturday through August 31.

Full details are available from www.shjtaq.com and www.police.sh.cn.

From September, anyone caught riding an unlicensed electric bicycle will face a fine of between 50 yuan (US$8.20) and 200 yuan.

Owners of approved vehicles can get their permanent plates from district and county-level non-motor vehicle management departments by providing a purchase invoice and proof of identity. Buyers of new bikes are asked to apply within 15 days of acquiring their vehicle.

Foreign owners of electric bicycles must also apply for a license plate and should present a valid visa and proof of purchase at the relevant location.

Riders of vehicles purchased after November 8, 2013, and which are not included on the approved list are ineligible to apply for a license plate.

Owners of bikes with non-Shanghai plates are required to apply for a local license plate.

Improving management

The new regulations are designed to improve the management of the more than 3 million non-motor vehicles on Shanghai’s roads, a senior police officer said.

“The process began fairly late,” Wang Meigen, said deputy director of Shanghai Traffic Police.

In the past, the owners of unlicensed electric bikes could be fined, but law enforcement was lax, he said.

The approved vehicle list contains 2,600 models and is available at shbicycle.com, the website of Shanghai Bicycle Industry Association.