Electric wheelchairs have taken over the streets of Guangzhou, China, but not due to a rise in any disabilities.
Young people in the city of 15 million have turned to wheelchairs to get past new regulations limiting the use of electric bikes, the Straits Times reported.
The unusual mode of recreational transportation “saves effort and is flexible, and you can ‘drive’ directly to your destination without having to find a parking space,” one unidentified wheelchair user told Hong Kong news outlet HK01.
Other people interviewed by the outlet said they don’t have to worry about facing fines when using the electric wheelchairs, and lawyers told the outlet it is not illegal because the wheelchairs are technically “not a means of transportation” compared to motorized vehicles.
The newly imposed restrictions on e-bikes include speed limits and the requirement that riders dismount and walk the bikes across traffic crossings, according to the Straits Times.
The fad has faced some backlash from citizens who took to social media to criticize the young people who went viral for using the mode of transportation.
“Electric wheelchairs are still a bit less safe on the road,” read one comment on the messaging app Weibo, per the Straits Times.
Citing data from an e-commerce website, the Times reported a 60% increase in sales for electric wheelchairs.