Local police in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, have been seizing unlicensed electric bikes and freight tricycles in the city. The local courier service, particularly delivery workers, have ended up buried in growing piles of undelivered packages, according to an article by China Daily.
Launched late last March, the campaign has so far led to the seizure of 17,975 electric bikes by the end of the month.
Furthermore, 874 people were detained and are facing charges of illegally operating such vehicles, according to the Shenzhen police's Sina Weibo account.
To roam the streets of Shenzhen, electric bicycles must be registered with the traffic police. Freight tricycles, on the other hand, are forbidden.
The campaign has caused a massive blow on the local express delivery sector, which relied on the use of electric freight tricycles to deliver packages on time. Approximately 50 couriers have been detained by local authorities, with 800 electric tricycles seized.
According to Ling Chuang, a manager of a service outlet managed by the Shanghai Yunda Express, the campaign has cut operations by 50 percent. The outlet's fleet of electric bicycles has not been registered with the traffic police.
Express delivery services like Ling's rely on electric bicycles, as trucks are less efficient, disabling delivery workers to make frequent stops from community to community.
Now, Ling and his service outlet are facing complaints and financial penalties.
"We are also receiving a greater number of customer complaints about delays, but right now we really don't have a solution ourselves and no solution has been offered to us," Ling said in an interview with China Daily.
"To me, it is not worth putting yourself behind bars for just trying to do your job," Ling added.
Other delivery workers expressed the same sentiments, with some individuals opting to work overtime to make sure all packages are delivered by using pedal-powered bikes.
On Friday, April 1, local authorities announced a 15-day buffer period.
"Anybody using an electric tricycle against regulations will face administrative detention, without exception, starting from April 16," reads a police statement issued on Thursday, March 31.