Sinanen Mobility Plus Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, President and CEO: Takeshi Sugawara), a subsidiary of the comprehensive energy, housing, and daily-life services provider Sinanen Holdings Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, President and CEO: Taro Nakagome) is the operator of the DAICHARI bike sharing service which makes travel fun and comfortable. It hereby announces that it has introduced 160 new, state-of-the-art dedicated DAICHARI bike sharing service bicycles starting from Thursday, August 1 as the first of JTB Corp.'s area development projects on Shodoshima Island, which aim to enhance the real value of tourist destinations and promote sustainable development through collaboration with local governments and businesses and the development of independent projects.

Sinanen Mobility Plus, which operates the DAICHARI bike sharing service using the HELLO CYCLING bike sharing platform with a focus on the Tokyo Metropolitan Area and Osaka Prefecture, operates and manages over 3,700 stations which serve as places to borrow and return bicycles, as well as approximately 12,800 electrically assisted bicycles and is one of Japan's largest bike sharing businesses. Since launching its service in 2017, Sinanen Mobility Plus has provided bike sharing services as a last-mile means of transportation through partnerships with various businesses, with over 30 million total uses up until now.

Shodoshima Island is the second largest island in the Setouchi Islands, an area attracting worldwide attention. It enjoys a warm climate throughout the year and is a tourist destination with scenic spots such as Japan's first national park, Kankakei Gorge, and Angel Road. In 2021, the island was selected as a model district for the Japan Sustainable Tourism Standard for Destinations (JSTS-D) and as a Top 100 Sustainable Tourist Destinations in the World, and is also attracting attention as an advanced region for the SDGs.

On the other hand, despite being a remote island, approximately 70% of visitors to Shodoshima Island do not stay overnight on the island, resulting in an extremely limited economic impact. Currently, secondary transportation issues such as a lack of public transportation, taxis, and rental cars, along with traffic congestion during peak tourist seasons, are becoming more severe. Against this backdrop, Sinanen Mobility Plus aims to improve the island's transportation environment and enhance tourist mobility by introducing 160 dedicated DAICHARI bike sharing service bicycles.

Sinanen Mobility Plus will continue to enhance its services to promote the use and spread of bike sharing as a convenient and accessible means of transportation, so that more people can use its services.

■ Overview of introduction

Bike sharing service on Shodoshima Island
Number of stations: 42
Fees: 200 yen for 15 minutes from the start of use, 2,000 yen per 12 hours

Station map: Light-colored map data created by Sinanen Mobility Plus based on the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan

Dedicated DAICHARI bike sharing service bicycles

The state-of-the-art dedicated DAICHARI bike sharing service bicycles that have been newly introduced were jointly developed with the Group company Sinanen Bike, utilizing the expertise in share cycle operations that Sinanen Mobility Plus has accumulated over the years. These electrically assisted bicycles feature a frame design that is easy to straddle and a seat lever that can be easily adjusted, making them comfortable for anyone to use. In addition, the bicycles are equipped with a USB port on the battery that can be used during an emergency, such as for charging smartphones during a disaster.

■Using "DAICHARI"

Users must register through the HELLO CYCLING app in order to use DAICHARI. After registering, users can easily search for a bike station, reserve a bike, and make payment through the app. Users can also rent and return^*1 electrically assisted bicycles at any of the approximately 8,500 bike stations^*2 nationwide displayed in the app, allowing for easy movement in both urban areas and tourist destinations. The service offers convenient and cost-effective use, so users only pay for how long they use the bike.

*¹ Stations are limited in the number of bikes that can be parked at them.
*² Number of stations as of July 2024.

・Fees differ depending on the kind of bike and rental area. Please confirm details prior to renting.
・For instructions on use, please refer to the app or the DAICHARI website. (https://daichari.hellocycling.jp/)
・You can download and register for free.

■About Sinanen Mobility Plus Co., Ltd.
https://www.sinanen-mplus.com/
Sinanen Mobility Plus Co., Ltd. is a company that is engaged in the mobility business of the Sinanen Holdings Group. It has developed the bike sharing service DAICHARI, which operates approximately 3,700 stations and approximately 12,800 bicycles (as of the end of June 2024), mainly in the Tokyo Metropolitan Area and Osaka Prefecture, and offers a user-only bike sharing service. Through the development of shared bicycles, which is a form of environmentally friendly infrastructure, the company will contribute to SDGs Goal 11 "Sustainable cities and communities," Goal 13 "Climate action," and Goal 17 "Partnerships for the goals."

■About Sinanen Holdings Co., Ltd.
https://sinanengroup.co.jp/en/
Sinanen Holdings Co., Ltd. is a holding company of the energy service group founded in 1927. With the mission of the Group to contribute to realizing a comfortable life for all customers in their communities through energy and home & life services, we provide Retail/Wholesale Energy & Related Business for consumers, Energy Solution Business for corporations, and non-energy businesses such as bicycle sharing, environmental and recycling, system development, antimicrobial, building management and maintenance, and other services. We are committed to strengthening our corporate efforts toward the realization of a carbon-free society.

Company names and the names of products and services mentioned in this press release are registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective companies.

[Contact for inquiries about the bike sharing service]

For more information about introducing the DAICHARI bike sharing service or adding stations, please contact us via the link below.
https://www.sinanen-mplus.com/contact/

[Media inquiries]

Public Relations, Business Planning Team, Sales Department, Sinanen Mobility Plus Co., Ltd.
Tel: +81-3-6478-7906 E-mail: daichari@sinanengroup.co.jp