The Metro, working with a local bike company, yesterday morning started a bike rental scheme at Line 2's Zhangjiang High-tech Park Station.

It is a trial for what is hoped will be a citywide scheme offering bikes for rent at Metro stations all over Shanghai.

By 2012 there will be bikes for rent at 800 Metro stations and 2,700 rental sites inside business and residential buildings.

Tens of thousands of commuters go through the Zhangjiang High-tech Park Station every day to work at the Zhangjiang High-tech Park or the Pudong Software Park.

Bikes are the perfect green and cost-efficient vehicles for people to use to commute between work and the Metro station. Before you can rent a bike you have to pay a 200-yuan (US$28) deposit and the rental runs at between 1 and 3 yuan per hour. The longer the bike is kept the rental rate increases to encourage people to return bikes as quickly as possible.

If you keep a bike for 24 hours it will set you back 60 yuan.

Commuters who buy one of the 150-yuan prepaid year cards can have the first 30 minutes' rental for free each time.

The Shanghai Forever Bicycle Co, which is supplying the bikes, has fitted GPS devices to them all so they can track them. But if a commuter has his bike stolen he will lose his deposit.

Return spots have been set up inside the Zhangjiang High-tech Park and the Pudong Software Park.