(Yicai Global) Sept. 18 -- Chinese cycle sharer Hellobike has teamed up with Shanghai's metro operator to encourage riders to park their bikes at subway stations.

The Shanghai-based firm, officially Junzheng Network Technology, has reached an agreement with Shanghai Shentong Metro Group to use Bluetooth digital fences that can track bike locations to the nearest 10 centimeters, Hellobike said at a press briefing yesterday, its second anniversary. The two companies will explore ways to integrate bike and underground transport, it added.

The digital fences will use a new, more accurate technology to monitor bike positioning and prevent riders from parking them outside of fixed parking zones. By doing so, Hellobike will be able to force riders into ending their journeys at metro stations.

The bike sharer, which also announced it is rebranding as Hello Chuxing, plans to roll out the fences next month, it said. It will also partner up with ride-hailing providers Shouqi Limousine & Chauffeur, Dida Chuxing and digital mapmaker AutoNavi Software, but did not disclose further details on those agreements.

Hello Chuxing is one of few bike-sharing providers to ride out the troubled times the sector has faced over the past year or so. Many platforms, such as Bluegogo and Xiaoming, have crashed out leaving the two titans, Mobike and Ofo, to battle it out at the top with fewer competitors.

While those two have opted to take on China's largest cities -- and many overseas -- Hello has stuck to fourth- and fifth-tier cities to steer clear of the oversaturation seen in many metropolises, where authorities have had to rid the streets of swarms of unused bikes.

By sticking to its smaller-city strategy, Hello has managed to pick up more than 200 million registered users in more than 260 cities in less than three years. It also runs electric bike-sharing services in over 100 cities, with riders covering more than 580 million kilometers so far.

Editor: James Boynton