(Yicai Global) Aug. 22 -- Southern China's metropolis Shenzhen has woken up to the sight of hordes of out-of-whack shared bicycles blocking the streets, asking firms such as Meituan Dianping's Mobike, Alibaba-backed Ofo and Ant Financial-funded Hellobike to begin collecting defunct bikes and start recycling.

Shenzhen's transport commission has ordered Jiangsu Youon Bike Low Carbon Technology's Hellobike to immediately recall some bicycles after receiving reports that the company has illegally put vehicles on the city's streets, local news outlet Shenzhen Special Zone Daily reported. Hellobike will be subject to severe punishment and its irregularities will be recorded in its credit history if it refuses to take corrective measures.

The city has also urged two largest players, Beijing Mobike Technology and Beijing Bikelock Technology's Ofo, to ramp up efforts to maintain the fleet and cut the total number of bikes in service.

The past few years of China's shared vehicles craze has put some 770,000 on the streets of Shenzhen while many of them are starting to require maintenance. Some operators, such as Xiaoming, Bluegogo, and Coolqi have already lost their market shares to their competitors, leaving broken two-wheelers loose in the environment. Ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing Technology, which has taken over Bluegogo's bike-sharing business, is working with the transport commission to recall the vehicles.

Last month, Guangzhou's Intermediate People's Court entrusted China Recycling Development to collect vehicles left on the streets by Guangzhou Yueqi Information Technology's bankrupt Xiaoming. Shenzhen has sent a written order Coolqi Technology to take back its abandoned bikes but the letter has bounced back without a receiver.

Editor: Emmi Laine