The unsung shared-bike heroes
Print Edition
SUMMER in Tianjin is no picnic. Despite the scorching heat during the day, “caretakers” from the bike-sharing companies are busy moving around in the city’s streets to make sure all the shared bikes are well arranged and safe to ride.
Many of the caretakers are in their 20s and are required to master very good mobile phone skills. They have to use their phones to search for randomly parked bikes, locate the misplaced ones and then transport them back to the designated sites, most of which are near Metro stations or malls.
They are also responsible for the daily maintenance of the bikes. In addition to checking the wheels, fixing brakes and scanning QR codes to make sure it is functional, they sometimes also have to clean and oil the bikes to ensure easy riding.
Since it’s launched early this year, bike-sharing has brought great convenience into people’s lives in many Chinese cities.
Tianjin, which produced China’s first Pigeon-brand bicycle some 30 years ago, is now home to 1,000 bike manufacturers and more than 700 spare parts producers, according to a report by the Ministry of Commerce. Some factories are said to turn out two bikes a minute averagely.
While people are largely benefiting from the idea of sharing public resources, how to regulate the market and restrain bad customer behaviors such as abuse or misuse of shared bikes, poses a serious challenge to the city management.
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