The number of rent-a-bike users increased after the earthquake that struck many Tokyo residents

The number of bike-share users in central Tokyo surged after a strong earthquake rocked the metropolitan area and stranded many commuters on trains Thursday night.

According to Docomo Bike Share Inc. , a company that provides bicycle rental services nationwide under the wing of NTT Docomo Inc. The mobile phone giant, users of its services increased dramatically in the Chiyoda and Minato wards of the capital, as East Japan Railways suspended train services briefly after the 5.9-magnitude earthquake on Thursday that struck at 10:41 p.m. that night.

Most of the company-operated bike stations in central Tokyo had no bikes available. Many of them were later brought back to stations in residential areas of Tokyo, including the Koto and Ota pavilions.

“It is rare for bikes to be rented in central Tokyo at once during the night, when (people) movements usually calm down,” said a Docomo Bike Share official. The company supplies about 9,200 motorized bikes at about 870 bike stations in 11 pavilions in Tokyo.

As an emergency measure, the company decided not to charge an extension fee for use of the bikes that started between the time of the earthquake and until 5 a.m. on Friday.

A woman in her 30s living in Tokyo borrowed a bicycle for the first time after being stranded at a train station an hour’s walk from her home.

“I never thought about using (rented bike) as transportation in an emergency,” she said. “It was very comfortable. I hope the services will be used more widely.”

However, recognizing the possibility of using rented bikes in times of natural disasters, Takeshi Hagiwara, a division head at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s Public Disaster Prevention Department, warned residents not to relocate immediately after a major disaster.

“It is a general rule not to move unnecessarily during times of major disasters,” Hagiwara said, such as the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

“We are asking people to try to secure safety and gather information first,” he added.

Docomo Bike Share has the same offer, inviting users of its services to check the condition of the road before riding a bike.

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